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Buns
1 cup scalded milk 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup sugar 1 yeast cake dissolved in 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup raisins stoned and cut in quarters 1 teaspoon extract lemon Flour Add one-half sugar and salt to milk; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake and one and one-half cups flour; cover, and let rise until light; add butter, remaining sugar, raisins, lemon, and flour to make a dough; let rise, shape like biscuits, let rise again, and bake. If wanted glazed, brush over with beaten egg before baking.
A sponge-method sweet bun from the era when yeast came in cakes and flour was added by feel rather than measure. The only real guesswork is the total flour, which the original leaves to the cook.
- Yeast cakeOne compressed yeast cake of the period is roughly equivalent to one packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast, or about 2/3 oz of fresh cake yeast. Dissolve it in the 1/4 cup of lukewarm water as directed, no hotter than about 110F.
- Total flourThe sponge takes 1 1/2 cups; expect to add another 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups to reach a soft, kneadable dough. Aim for a dough that is slightly tacky rather than stiff, since the butter and sugar will make it feel firmer as it cools.
- Scalding the milkScalding is usually explained as deactivating something in raw milk that slackens dough; it also simply heated and sterilised the milk. With pasteurized milk many bakers consider it unnecessary, but the milk should still be warmed and then cooled to lukewarm before it meets the yeast.
- Stoned raisins"Stoned" means pitted. Modern seedless raisins need no pitting, but quartering large raisins or using currants still distributes them better through the crumb.
- Butter added lateFat goes in after the sponge has risen, which keeps it from slowing the yeast at the start. Have it soft, not melted, and work it in thoroughly before adding the second flour.
- Rising timesThe first sponge takes about an hour at room temperature until bubbly and domed; the dough after kneading about another hour until doubled; the shaped buns 30 to 45 minutes until visibly puffed.
- OvenBake at about 375F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are deep gold and a bun sounds hollow when tapped underneath. The original gives no temperature or oven description at all.
- Lemon extractA full teaspoon of extract is assertive by current standards. Half a teaspoon, or the grated zest of one lemon, gives a cleaner flavour.
- YieldEnough for about a dozen buns shaped the size of a biscuit, baked on a sheet or set close together in a pan for soft sides.