Cream-of-tartar Biscuit

Method

1. First, attend to the fire;
2. see that you have a clear, steady one, such as will give a hot oven by the time the biscuits are ready for baking.
3. Then sift some flour, and measure a quart.
4. Into it put two teaspoons of cream of tartar, and one of soda, the latter to be measured exactly like the teaspoons of cream of tartar, and then a very little taken off.
5. This is a more accurate way of getting a scanted teaspoon than by taking some on the spoon and guessing at it.
6. Add one teaspoon of salt, and sift all together four times, then with the fingers rub into the flour one spoon of butter.
7. At this point, if it has not been already done, get the baking-pans, rolling-pin, board, dredging-box, and cutter ready for use.
8. Then with a knife stir into the flour enough milk to make a soft dough.
9. Do this as quickly as convenient, and without any delay mold the dough just enough to shape it;
10. roll it out, cut it into biscuits, and put them immediately into the oven, where they should bake for thirty minutes.
11. Pocket-Books.
12. Work or knead together the pieces that are left after making cream-of-tartar biscuit (or make a dough on purpose), roll it out very thin, cut it into rounds, brush them over with milk or melted butter, fold once so as to make a half-moon shape, and you will have "pocket-books." Twin Biscuit.
13. Roll out some dough very thin, cut it into very small rounds, and place one on top of another, with butter between.
14. Iced water may be substituted for milk in the above rule.
15. In baking, however, the oven should be unusually hot, so as to take advantage of the expansion of the water.
16. Also, baking-powder may be substituted for the cream of tartar and soda, using a fourth more of the baking-powder than of the two together.

Plating