The Little Book of Country Baking: Classic Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Breads, and Pies
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About this ebook
- Date-orange bread
- Berry loaf
- Maple rolls
- Apple cornbread
- Chocolate almond cookies
- Molasses cookies
- Apple johnny-cakes
- Honey-nut gingerbread
- Strawberry shortcake
- Apple cider cake
- Oats and honey bread
- Country peach pie
The Little Book of Country Baking contains lush, full-color photographs of each delicious baked good and just the right amount of recipes for a never-ending supply of yummy inspiration. At such an excellent price, every kitchen should have a copy!
Abigail Gehring
Abigail R. Gehring is the author or editor of more than a dozen books including Back to Basics, Homesteading, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Living, and Classic Candy. She enjoys writing, gardening, experimenting in the kitchen, and spending time with family. She lives with her husband and two children in an 1800s farmstead they are restoring in Marlboro, Vermont.
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The Little Book of Country Baking - Abigail Gehring
INTRODUCTION
The irony of this cookbook is that when I bake, I cannot make myself stick to a recipe. Something in my independent nature resists following someone else’s prescription for what I consider a very creative activity. I’ll look to a recipe for inspiration, but I’ll always add a little something to make it my own, or substitute an item or two out of necessity or pure curiosity. I encourage you to treat these recipes the same way: as guidelines for your own creative culinary ventures. If I don't specify what type of flour to use, all-purpose flour will yield the best results, but you can experiment with any of the myriad flours available at supermarkets and health food stores. Almost any fruit or nut in a recipe can be substituted with another fruit or nut, or omitted completely. Likewise, in most cases flavorings such as vanilla extract can be substituted with peppermint, orange, or any other flavoring you fancy. Here are just a few tips for happy experimentation.
Substituting Sweeteners: Sugar turns to a liquid as it bakes, helping cookies to spread and adding moisture to cakes and breads. Reducing the sugar in a recipe will change the texture of the end product, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it will be bad—just different. If you want to use honey, agave, or maple syrup instead of white or brown sugar, use about ¾ cup to 1 cup sugar called for in the recipe, and reduce other liquids in the recipe by 2 to 3 tablespoons. And while we’re on the subject, if a recipe calls for maple syrup, please only use the real deal!
Substituting Butter: Don’t use margarine—it’s not good for you and it won’t yield good results. If you want to reduce the fat content of a cookie, cake, or bread recipe, you can experiment with substituting ¾ cup of canola oil per 1 cup of butter called for, or you can try using fruit purees (apple or prune), or a combination of the two.
Gluten-Free Baking: About two years ago I discovered, as more and more folks are, that my body doesn’t like gluten. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to find gluten-free all-purpose flour mix now. But if you want to mix your own, I've included a recipe on the next page.
GLUTEN-FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR MIX
1 cup sorghum flour
½ cup millet, almond, brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat flour
1 cup tapioca, potato starch, or corn starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Don’t skip the xanthan gum—it’s expensive and it sounds weird, but it will make a big difference in the texture of your baked good.
Note that some kinds of baking powder contain gluten, so read the labels. Also, adding a bit more butter or a bit of applesauce, pumpkin puree, prune paste, or yogurt to your recipes will help ensure the end product isn't too dry. Coconut flour is delicious, but add a little extra liquid when using it.
Happy baking!
Cookies and Bars
Brown Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Almond Cookies
Fruit and Nut Cookies
Sour Cream Cookies
Drop Cookies
Chocolate Cookies
Walnut Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Peanut Cookies
Butterscotch Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Date Bars
Chocolate Jumbles
Molasses Cookies
Walnut Macaroons
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Brownies
Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Cinnamon Twists
Ginger Creams Halvah Shortbread
Easy Caramel Rolls
BROWN SUGAR COOKIES
Yields three to four dozen cookies
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup softened margarine
3 eggs
5 cups pastry flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cream together the margarine and sugar. Beat the eggs well and add to the mixture. Add milk, vanilla, and half the flour sifted with the salt and soda. Add more flour, enough to make dough that may be rolled. Cut in any desired shapes and bake about 10 minutes.
Country Kitchen Tip
Many beloved old recipes have vague instructions for oven temperatures. Here’s a handy guide:
Very moderate = 300°F to 350°F
Moderate/Medium = 350°F to 400°F
Hot/Quick/Fast = 400°F to 450°F
Very Hot/Very Quick = 450°F to 500°F
CHOCOLATE ALMOND COOKIES
Yields three dozen cookies
3 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
2 squares melted chocolate (16 oz)
½ lb chopped blanched almonds
2 cups chocolate chips
1 Tbs melted butter
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour (plus extra to stiffen dough)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Beat eggs well, then add brown sugar and melted butter. Sift together one cup of whole wheat flour with cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder. Add to the mixture. Then add the melted chocolate, almonds, chocolate chips, and enough additional flour to make the dough stiff enough to shape in the hands. Roll in small balls. Place in greased pans not too close together. Bake about ten minutes.
FRYIT AND NUT COOKIES
Yields four dozen cookies
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 Tbs cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda, dissolved in 4 Tbs hot water
3 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup pistachios or almonds, broken up
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon, soda mixture, flour, fruits, and nuts. Add to butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Drop by spoonful onto greased pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until slightly golden.
SOUR CREAM COOKIES
Yields three dozen cookies
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream or sour milk
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups flour, or as little as possible
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Cream the butter, then add the sugar and cream again. Sift together one cup flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. To the creamed mixture, add the eggs