318 Singing Valleys 



comes from the oven. So invite only guests who have a record 

 for promptness. 



All the best corn dishes do not come from the South. Up in 

 Rhode Island, the women of Wickford, and "round Newport 

 way," have a knack with Indian meal. Over in Peacedale they 

 make a raised bread similar to the bakers' Penny Household 

 Loaves of early days. This calls for equal parts of corn, rye 

 and wheat. It is leavened with yeast, sweetened with molasses, 

 and baked in loaves which come out of the oven dark, crusty 

 and fragrant. 



Boston brown bread has equal parts of corn, rye and 

 graham flours. But this is steamed, and not kneaded and 

 baked. 



As a matter of fact, corn meal does not knead easily or 

 well. Therefore it is more usual to make it into a cake, not a 

 loaf. But during the war which made Scarlett O'Hara, women 

 in the Southern states learned to do things with corn meal 

 which they never did in times when there was wheat flour for 

 raised loaves. Down in Maryland they made a yellow bread 

 which was so good that some of them have gone on making 

 it ever since Barbara Frietchie hung out her flag. 



It is made by stirring four cups of corn meal into an equal 

 quantity of boiling water. As this thickens, add one tablespoon 

 of salt, and then set the mush aside to cool. To this should be 

 added one cup of luke-warm water in which a yeast cake has 

 been dissolved, and three cups of white flour. Knead, and allow 

 to rise overnight in a covered bowl set in a warm corner of the 

 kitchen. For breakfast, cut off some of the dough, pat into 

 biscuits and bake. The rest makes a loaf. 



Compressed yeast is one of today's luxuries. Our great- 

 grandmothers used to send our grandmothers to the baker's 

 for five cents worth of "risings," or else they made their own 

 by mixing corn meal with some sour milk and letting this 

 ferment overnight. This is true sour-dough. 



