Boil the milk, and add the butter, salt, and sugar.  Sift the flour into a deep bowl, and, when the milk is merely blood-warm, stir together with enough of the flour to form a batter or sponge.  Do this at nine or ten in the evening, and set in a cool place, from 50 deg. to 60 deg..  Next morning about nine mix in the remainder of the flour; turn on to the molding-board; and knead for twenty minutes, using as little flour as possible.  Return to the bowl, and set in cool place again till about four in the afternoon.  Knead again for fifteen minutes; roll out, and cut into rounds, treating them as in plain rolls.  Let them rise one hour, and bake twenty minutes.  One kneading makes a good breakfast roll; but, to secure the peculiar delicacy of a “Parker-House,” two are essential, and they are generally baked as a folded or pocket roll.  If baked round, make the dough into a long roll on the board; cut off small pieces, and make into round balls with the hand, setting them well apart in the pan.

SODA AND CREAM OF TARTAR BISCUIT.

One quart of flour; one even teaspoonful of salt; one teaspoonful of soda, and two of cream of tartar; a piece of lard or butter the size of an egg; and a large cup of milk or water.

Mix the soda, cream of tartar, and salt with the flour, having first mashed them fine, and sift all together twice.  Rub the shortening in with the hands till perfectly fine.  Add the milk; mix and roll out as quickly as possible; cut in rounds, and bake in a quick oven.  If properly made, they are light as puffs; but their success depends upon thorough and rapid mixing and baking.

BAKING-POWDER BISCUIT.

Make as above, using two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, instead of the soda and cream of tartar.

BEATEN BISCUIT.

Three pints of sifted flour; one cup of lard; one teaspoonful of salt.  Rub the lard and flour well together, and make into a very stiff dough with about a cup of milk or water:  a little more may be necessary.  Beat the dough with a rolling-pin for half an hour, or run through the little machine that comes for the purpose.  Make into small biscuit, prick several times, and bake till brown.

WAFERS.

One pint of sifted flour; a piece of butter the size of a walnut; half a teaspoonful of salt.

Rub butter and flour together, and make into dough with half a cup of warm milk.  Beat half an hour with the rolling-pin.  Then take a bit of it no larger than a nut, and roll to the size of a saucer.  They can not be too thin.  Flour the pans lightly, and bake in a quick oven from five to ten minutes.

WAFFLES.

One pint of flour; one teaspoonful of baking powder; half a teaspoonful of salt; three eggs; butter the size of an egg; and one and a quarter cups of milk.