Johnny-Cake (Two-thirds tea-spoon soda)

A very small, very lean corn batter from an era when a cook was expected to know the pan and the oven without being told. Nothing here is difficult, but almost every quantity and instruction has to be inferred.

• Indian meal is cornmealNineteenth-century "Indian meal" is plain yellow or white cornmeal, usually stone-ground and coarser than most supermarket meal today. A medium grind gives the closest texture.
• Soda plus cream of tartar is baking powderTwo-thirds teaspoon soda with a teaspoon of cream of tartar is a home-mixed single-acting leavener, roughly equivalent to two teaspoons of modern baking powder. It begins working the moment the milk goes in, so combine wet and dry at the last minute and get the pan into the oven immediately.
• Sweet milkMeans fresh, unsoured milk, as distinct from the sour milk or buttermilk used in soda-raised johnny-cakes. Do not substitute buttermilk here; the cream of tartar is already supplying the acid.
• No fat in the batterThere is neither butter nor drippings in the list, which is why the pan matters. Grease a shallow tin generously and heat it before the batter goes in, or the cake will stick and stay pale underneath.
• The missing ovenNo oven heat or time is given. A hot oven, in the region of 400 to 425F for about 20 to 25 minutes, suits a thin batter of this kind; the top should be set and lightly browned.
• "A thin batter" is the whole instructionAbout a cup of liquid to nine tablespoons of meal and flour, a little over half a cup, gives something closer to pancake batter than cornbread dough. Poured about half an inch deep it bakes into a thin, crisp-edged cake; poured thicker it stays wet in the middle.
• Salt"A little salt" in a batter this size is about a quarter teaspoon. With no fat in the batter, leaving it out entirely makes the cake taste flat.
• YieldEnough for one 8-inch round or square tin, serving three or four at breakfast. It is meant to be eaten hot, cut in squares, with butter.