1862 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
151 
bread. Do not be discouraged if tbe first trial prove 
a failure, but try again. It is not uncommon even 
for experienced bakers to occasionally get a poor 
batch of raised bread. We made very many trials 
before we properly understood it. Now we are 
more sure of good bread every time we bake, than 
in the old way. E, W. Knight. 
Glenns Falls, N. Y., March 4. 
Remarks. —We give the above, not to endorse it 
especially, for the taste of people generally would re¬ 
quire to be greatly changed, before they could be • 
brought to substitute for light nicely raised bread, 
the hard unleavened water-mixed cakes. It can not 
be denied, however, that so far as health is con¬ 
cerned, the pure unbolted ground meal of wheat or 
other grain, is better adapted to the wants of the 
body than the fine bolted flour. But there is one 
consideration not taken into account by those who 
would discard yeast-raised bread. To enter into the 
blood as nutriment to the body, food must be di¬ 
gested, that is, its chemical structure must be 
changed, and a new arrangement of its elements be 
produced, which is equivalent to saying it part¬ 
ly decays in the stomach so that its elements, 
simple and proximate, may enter into other combi¬ 
nations. The fermentation (raising by yeast) is a 
step in this decay or destructive process, and it may 
well be queried whether fermented bread is not 
better adapted to digestion than unleavened bread. 
The yeasting, fermentation, or raising of the bread, 
is so much work done in advance for the digestive 
organs of the stomach. The baking merely stops 
the destructive fermentation at a particular point, 
to be resumed again when brought in contact with 
the gastric fluid. If this view be correct, sour 
bread—that fermented to excess—may be quite as 
healthful as the sweetest. It certainly goes through 
a souring, destructive process in the stomach, be¬ 
fore it gets into the blood as nutritative chyle. So 
far as health is concerned, those people who habit¬ 
ually use sour bread, from want of skill, or from 
preference, do not appear to be less healthy, or to 
suffer more from indigestion than other classes. As 
for the taste in the matter, that depends mainly 
upon habit. The writer above has learned to like 
the hard unleavened cakes, and doubtless enjoys 
them. Another learns to like the sharp acid flavor 
of sour bread, and esteems your light sweet bread 
as insipid. The latter is the case generally with the 
people of Central Europe.— Ed.] 
Old Fashioned “Hulled Corn.” 
“Aunt Mary ” of Colchester, writes to the Amer¬ 
ican Agriculturist: “ Some of the old fashioned 
ways of using com, in vogue when wheat flour was 
almost as scarce and precious as gold dust, are wor¬ 
thy of being called to mind now, especially by 
those who do not relish corn bread or ‘hoe-cake.’ 
Here, for example, is my old and my present way 
of hulling corn, which furnishes a dish that would 
have pleased Mr. Smith, and perhaps have made 
him outgrow his suspenders in half the time men¬ 
tioned in connection with his picture in the March 
Agriculturist :—Take about as much ripe dry corn as 
would be shelled from a dozen ears, and put it in an 
iron kettle, covering it with cold water. Tie in a 
cloth or small bag about two teacupfuls of good 
wood ashes; put the bag in with the corn, and boil 
until it looks yellow, and tastes pretty strongly of 
the alkali. Take out the bag, and boil the corn 
slowly in the lye for an hour or so; then pour off 
the lye and add cold water, and simmer until the 
com swells. If the hulls do not then come off by 
stirring, turn off the water and mb the corn in a 
clean coarse towel, which will remove most of the 
hulls. Again add more water and simmer for sev¬ 
eral hours, stirring often to prevent burning. When 
it swells out large, becomes softened through, and 
looks white, add salt to the liking, and let the water 
cook nearly away. Eat warm or cold, wijth cream 
or milk. In cold weather it will be just as good 
when several days old.”—[We agree with ‘Aunt 
Mary ’ that this old fashioned hulled corn is a good 
dish. Rightly prepared, it is as soft and delicate as 
green corn in the ear, though it has not the sweet¬ 
ish taste. Unless plenty of water be added to 
thoroughly wash off the alkali after the hulls are 
loosened, it will not suit the taste of some persons. 
The salting is an important part also. Most per¬ 
sons leave it too fresh, though we have tasted it 
when spoiled with excess of salt. It is a little 
troublesome to prepare, but is cheap, and good 
enough to pay for the labor. We wish ‘Aunt Mary’ 
was our next door neighbor, so that we could often 
drop in for a dish of the old fashioned hulled corn, 
that in our boyhood we considered as one of the 
greatest luxuries, but which has seldom been met 
with in later years.] 
Corn Bread Questions—Explanations. 
Many inquiries are made for particulars concern¬ 
ing the various corn bread recipes published in the 
first three numbers of this volume. We can not 
answer them; the contributors mostly live at too 
great a distance to be personally consulted. We pub¬ 
lished the directions just as given, or with emenda¬ 
tions in the words and style only—not in the pre¬ 
scriptions. A few write that they have followed the 
directions, and yet can not produce good bread or 
cake, and intimate that there must have been some 
mistake or deception. We take it that none of the 
contributors would give directions different from 
these by which the actual specimens sent were made. 
A great deal depends upon the skill of the opera¬ 
tor in using any recipe. Two persons will often 
produce a very different article of food, though both 
try to follow precisely the same directions. Com¬ 
paratively few housekeepers make every batch of 
bread from the same barrel equally good, though in¬ 
tending to pursue the same method in each baking. 
Pot-Pies. 
A good pot-pie is a good thing; heavy, half-cook¬ 
ed dough is poor eating, and hard to be digested, 
whether cookedinthe form ofbreadloaves, biscuits, 
or in a kettle. A lady reader of the American Agri¬ 
culturist, whose pot-pies we have proved and ap¬ 
proved more than once, writes out the following 
directions: Make the dough just as for raised bis¬ 
cuits ; an egg, beaten and mixed in with the butter 
or lard shortening, improves the lightness and qual¬ 
ity, but is not necessary. When the meat is boiled 
nearly enough, cut the dough into small biscuit 
size, and lay the pieces not among the meat, but on a 
perforated tin placed in the pot just above the li¬ 
quid ; cover and cook them through by the steam. 
Stir a little flour into the meat liquor and boil it 
well; lay the cooked crust on the dish and pour 
over it the gravy and the meat.-(2) Mrs. Lucy 
Upson, of Pecatonica, Winnebago Co., HI., contrib¬ 
utes the following: “ For the crust, use 1 pint of 
sweet milk, 1 teaspoonful of soda, 2 teaspoonfuls 
cream of tartar, butter the size of an egg, and flour 
enough to make dough as stiff as for tea-biseuit. 
Roll out and cut like biscuit and drop on the top of 
the chicken, cover and boil 20 minutes.” 
Meat for Pot-Pies. —Tender poultry is of course 
preferable, when to be obtained; but almost any 
kind of meat not too fat, answers well. Good veal, 
and lamb, are next to poultry, but beef, lean pork, 
or spare-rib, or any kind of lean meat is far from a 
poor substitute, if the crust be made light. 
Salad Dressing. 
It is a great art to make a good dressing for green 
salad—lettuce or endive. The art consists in ming¬ 
ling the various ingredients so that each will be¬ 
come disguised and in its turn disguise the others 
while the combination in no wise obscures the de¬ 
licious flavor of the lettuce or endives—but rather 
augments it and promotes its digestibility... .Take 
the yolks of two hard boiled eggs, crumble them 
with a silver fork or dessert spoon, add about half a 
teaspoonful of ground mustard and a teaspoonful 
of salt, and mix all well together. Then add in 
three portions a dessert spoonful of pure olive, wal¬ 
nut or poppy oil, and rub the whole to a uniform 
smoothness. The addition of twice the quantity 
of oil will improve the salad to the taste of many, 
and nothing is more healthful; a dash of cayenne 
pepper, or a few drops of pepper vinegar may also 
be added; finally add about a dessert spoonful of 
sharp vinegar, and if the dressing is not fluid enough, 
a little water or more vinegar, adding it gradually 
and. rubbing thoroughly all the time. A little ex¬ 
perience only is necessary, but it requires tact and 
patience. Most people abhor oil because they pour 
it over the green leaves instead of blending it 
in a dressing. Others douse on oil, catsup, mustard, 
pepper, salt—every spice or condiment they can 
lay hands upon—sugar it well besides, and then 
drown it in vinegar. Think of catsup on a crisp 
lettuce head—horrible! 
Greasing a Griddle—The Best Way. 
“Letty Ermin ” of New-Tork, writes to the Agri¬ 
culturist thus: The soapstone griddles require no 
greasing, but the “flap-jacks” are insipid. Too 
much fat is equally objectionable. The piece of fat 
pork commonly used becomes blackened and 
seared to bitterness—disagreeable to the eye, at 
least. The very best greaser is a linen swab, dipped 
into nicely tried drippings, or suet warmed, and 
rubbed quickly over the surface.—This same kind 
of “swab” of smaller size, is also the best thing 
for greasing bread pans, and for fitting into the cor¬ 
ners and scallops of cake forms. 
“Pot-au-feu” Recipe direct from France. 
Montarois, France, March 12th, 1862. 
Mr. Editor: Seeing in the Januar.y Agriculturist 
an inquiry for a recipe for the French 11 Pot-au-feu.” 
I send one that is good, and at your disposal. Al¬ 
though so far away from our native land, we think 
we cannot do without your most excellent journal. 
To 1 gallon of water, put 4 lbs. of beef, 8 teaspoon¬ 
fuls of salt, and 1 of pepper; set it on the fire, 
and as the scum rises, skim it until clear. Then 
add 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 2 leeks, cut in pieces ; 2 
onions, in one of which stick 8 cloVes ; 1 burnt 
onion, or other coloring. Boil gently 5 or C 
hours. The broth, with good wheat bread, ver¬ 
micelli, or tapioca, is good enough for any table. 
The meat is to be served afterward with the vege¬ 
tables. E. M. L. 
Laui'el Leaves, mentioned in a recipe for 
Pot-au-feu on page 86, are not leaves of “ground 
laurel,” “ high,” nor “ low laurel,” nor of any other 
wild plant called laurel by our country folk, but the 
common European laurel, or bay laurel, Laurusndb- 
ilis. It is cultivated sometimes in this country, 
and we are familiar with the leaves, which are often 
used in packing fig drums. 
-. rna ^i n , |» - 
Breakfast Cake. 
Mrs. Bennett, Ripley Co., Ind., recommends: 
“2% cups flour, 8 well beaten eggs, 1 teaspoonful 
salt, and sweet milk enough to make a stiff batter. 
Add the eggs last. Put in a hot, greased pan, and 
bake until brown.” 
Cheap Cup Cake. 
Contributed to the Agriculturist by some one 
whose name is not on the recipe. “ Take 8 cups of 
flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of butter, 4 eggs, 
cup of sweet milk, % teaspoonful of soda, and 1 
teaspoonful of cream of tartar; flavor to the taste.” 
Corn Meal Pudding. 
By same as above: Take 1 quart of mush, and 
cool it with new sweet milk (not quite as much 
milk as muift), 5 eggs, % teacupful of sugar, 1 tea¬ 
cupful of flour, a little salt and soda or quick yeast, 
and ground cinnamon if liked. Bake 1 hour in a 
moderately slow oven, and eat with sauce. Some 
prefer to use no sugar in the pudding itself, but to 
eat with butter, sugar and nutmeg mixed. 
Indian Meal Pies, Contributed to the 
Agriculturist, by Mary Williams, Linn Co., Iowa: 
Stir a small teacupful of very fine ground Indian 
meal into 2 quarts of boiling milk. When nearly 
cool, add 5 beaten eggs, and sweeten to taste, like 
a custard, adding spice and orange peel, if desired. 
Bake with a crust, the same as custard pies. 
