STEAMED BROWN BREAD

Place in a bowl 3/4 cup graham flour and 1/2 cup of yellow, granulated cornmeal.  Sift into this 3/4 cup of white flour, 1 teaspoonful of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoonful of salt.  Mix all ingredients together to form a batter by adding 1 cup of sour milk, in which has been dissolved 3/4 teaspoonful of soda.  Then add 2 tablespoonfuls of molasses.  Pour into a well-greased quart can (the tin cans in which coffee is frequently sold will answer nicely), cover closely, place in a kettle of boiling water, steam about three hours; stand in oven a short time after being steamed.  Cut in slices and serve as bread, or, by the addition of raisins or currants, and a little grated nutmeg or other flavoring, a very appetizing and wholesome pudding may be served hot, with sugar and cream or any pudding sauce preferred.

A WHOLESOME BREAD (MADE FROM BRAN)

Place in a bowl 4 cups of clean bran and 2 cups of white flour, sifted with 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 tablespoonful of melted butter.  Mix into a soft batter with 2 cups of sweet milk; add 1/2 cup of molasses.  Fill two layer cake pans and bake in a hot oven about 25 minutes.  This is so easily and quickly made.  The young housewife may mix, when commencing to prepare lunch, and when the meal is ready to serve the bread will be baked, and it is an excellent laxative.

FRAU SCHMIDT’S “HUTZEL BROD”

1 quart dried pears. 1 pint of pear juice. 1 Fleischman’s yeast cake. 1 scant cup brown sugar. 2 eggs. 1/4 teaspoonful soda. 1 pound of soaked raisins. 3/4 cup of a mixture of lard and butter. 1 teaspoonful of fennel seed.  Pinch of salt. 2 teaspoonfuls of ground cinnamon.  Flour to stiffen, as for ordinary bread.

Cover one quart of dried pears with cold water and cook slowly about 20 minutes until they have cooked tender, but not soft (the night before the day on which the bread is to be baked).

Then drain the juice from stewed pears, which should measure 1 pint; when lukewarm, add 1 yeast cake, dissolved in a small quantity of lukewarm water, and about 3 cups of flour and a pinch of salt.  Stand, closely-covered, in a warm place over night to raise.

The following morning, add 1/4 teaspoonful of baking soda, dissolved in a little warm water, to counteract any acidity of batter.  Cream together sugar, butter and lard, add eggs one at a time, men the well-floured, diced pears, also raisins, cinnamon and fennel seed, and enough flour to stiffen as for ordinary bread.  Knead well, let rise; it will require some time, as the fruit retards the raising process.  When light, turn onto a bake-board, cut into four portions, mold into four shapely loaves, place in pans, brush with melted butter and when quite light, place in a moderate oven and bake one hour.  This bread will keep well several weeks, if kept in a tin cake box.