The Carolina Housewife

By Sarah Rutledge

Published in 1851 in Charleston, The Carolina Housewife by “A Lady of Charleston” was described by Time magazine as an “incomparable guide to Southern cuisine”. With over 600 recipes, this treasury of Southern fare acknowledges for the first time the contributions of African American and Native American cooks by including recipes such as Hoppin’ John, Potted Shrimp, Seminole Soup, and numerous rice dishes. 

Sarah Rutledge emphasized that The Carolina Housewife contained recipes that had been gathered from the community, tested in their own kitchens, and—a topic that still resonates today—appropriate for people of limited incomes. Other delicious recipes include Hominy Bread, Rice Griddles, Baked Shrimps in Tomatoes, Peach Sherbet, and Lemon Drops, all combining to make The Carolina Housewife “a treasure trove for social historians studying South Carolina culture and lifestyles,” according to South Carolina Historical Magazine.  This edition of The Carolina Housewife was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the society is a research library documenting the lives of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection comprises approximately 1,100 volumes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449431945

Book preview

BREAKFAST.

BREADS, CAKES, &c.

AN EASY AND EXCELLENT MODE OF MAKING DOMESTIC YEAST.

TAKE as much hops as you can grasp in your hand; put to them a quart of water, and two good sized Irish potatoes washed clean and unpeeled, which, to facilitate their quick boiling, had better be cut up. Let it all boil together until the potatoes are well cooked. Then take the potatoes out, mash them up, skin and all, and put them again with the hops; after stirring it well together, pass it through a sieve as dry as you can from the hops. While the liquor is hot, sweeten it well with the best brown sugar, to prevent the yeast being dark colored. When the mixture is nearly cold, add two table spoonfuls of wheat flour, previously mixed smooth with a little of the liquor, and then add to the whole. It ought to turn out near a quart of yeast. Bottle it rather loosely at first, but when the fermentation begins, cork it tight and tie down the cork. When made in the morning, it will be fit to use at night, if attention is paid to these directions. A gill of this yeast is sufficient for a quart and pint of flour.

YEAST—NO. 1.

To a quart of strong hop tea add a spoonful of wheat flour, a spoonful of corn flour and a spoonful of brown sugar. Stir them well in and bottle the mixture, which must be closely corked and the cork tied down. Set in a warm place until it ferments. The hop tea must be cold before the other ingredients are added.

YEAST—NO. 2.

Five ounces of wheat flour, five ounces Irish potatoes, one handful of hops, one table-spoonful of brown sugar, one and a half pints of water. Wash the potatoes and put them into a pot or saucepan with the hops and water, and boil them until they are quite soft; then take them out, peel and mash them smooth; strain the water from the hops and stir into it the potatoes, flour and sugar. The water must be boiled down to one pint.

YEAST BISCUITS.

Fill a pint mug with hops and cover them with boiling water. Let it stand until quite strong—mix in two or three biscuits (yeast) and two table-spoonfuls of honey, also as much wheat flour as will make it tolerably stiff; set it to rise, and when risen pound in a sufficient quantity of fine dry rice flour to cut into biscuits. Put them to dry in the shade, and keep them hung up in a bag. Each biscuit to be a size larger than a dollar.

CAROLINA RICE AND WHEAT BREAD.

Simmer one pound rice in two quarts of water until it is quite soft; when it is cool enough, mix it well with four pounds wheat flour, yeast and salt as for other bread—of yeast four large spoonfuls. Let it rise before the fire. Some of the flour should be reserved to make the loaves. If the rice swells greatly and requires more water, add as much as you think proper.

WEENEE RICE BREAD.

A table-spoonful of rice boiled to a pap; while hot stir into it a large table-spoonful of butter; then add a gill and a half of milk or cream and four table-spoonfuls of very light yeast. Stir these ingredients well together and rub in two quarts of beaten rice flour gradually; salt to the taste. Turn the mixture into a well greased pan and set it to rise. When light, bake in a moderate oven until quite brown. About an hour is required for the baking of this bread. If the rice flour of commerce is used a smaller quantity will be necessary; the mixture must be just so stiff as that a spoon will stand in it.

INLET BREAD.

Half a pint of soft boiled hominy, a table-spoonful of butter, a tea-spoonful of salt, one tea-spoonful of sugar, three eggs,one fresh yeast biscuit dissolved in two teacups of cold water, or two table-spoonfuls of liquid yeast, four teacups of fine rice flour. While the hominy is warm stir in the butter, then set it away to get cold; and when cold add the eggs, (which must be first beaten until quite light,) the yeast, sugar and salt, and lastly the flour; rub all these ingredients well together; turn the mixture into a thoroughly greased pan, and put it to rise. When quite light, bake in rather a quick oven about three-quarters of an hour. If the liquid yeast is used, rather a smaller quantity of water will be necessary. If the bread is wanted for breakfast it must be mixed the evening before; and if for tea, in the morning.

ASHLEY RICE BREAD.

Stir one table-spoonful of butter into a pint of rice flour, beat light two eggs, two tea-spoons of salt, add them to the flour and butter, one-half of an yeast powder; dissolve the tartaric acid in water, and the soda in a pint of milk. Stir them quickly together and bake the mixture immediately.

The lid of the oven should be heated as well as the bottom.

BEAUFORT RICE BREAD.

A pint of boiled rice, half a pint of hominy, three pints of rice flour—mix with water enough to make a thick batter; add a teacup of yeast, and a tea-spoonful of pearlash. Put the mixture into a deep pan, well greased, and let it rise for eight or ten hours. Bake in rather a brisk oven.

POTATOE AND RICE BREAD.

One quart of rice flour, one table-spoonful of mashed sweet potatoe, one table-spoonful of butter, mixed with half a pint of yeast, and one pint of milk. Bake in a pan and in a moderate oven.

LOAF RICE BREAD.

A pint of rice flour, three eggs, a spoonful of butter, a salt-spoonful of salt. Beat the eggs quite light; stir in the butter, flour and salt. Dissolve an yeast powder in a little warm water; mix it well with the other ingredients; pour it into the pan, and place it immediately in the oven. This bread requires nearly an hour’s baking in a moderate oven.

RICE OVEN BREAD.

One-fourth of a pound of rice boiled very soft, three-fourths of a pound of wheat flour, one gill of yeast, one gill of milk, and a little salt. Bake in a pan in a moderate oven.

RICE SPIDER BREAD.

A cup of rice boiled soft, two cups of flour, three eggs. Let the rice be cold; then beat the flour and rice together; add the eggs; beat the mixture well, and bake in a hot spider.

RICE MUFFINS.

To half a pint of rice boiled soft, add a teacup full of milk, three eggs well beaten, one spoonful of butter, add as much wheat flour as will make it the thickness of pound cake. Drop them about the oven. They do not require turning.

RICE COOKEES.

One pint of soft boiled rice—add as much rice flour as will make a batter stiff enough to be made into cakes. Fry them in nice lard. Salt to the taste.

RICE DROPS.

Half a pint of hominy, half pint of milk, one pint of rice flour, two eggs, a large table-spoonful of butter and a little salt. Beat all well together and drop on tin sheets.

Corn flour may be used instead of rice.

RICE SLAP JACKS.

Three eggs, one pint of sour milk, three table-spoonfuls of soft boiled rice, salt to the taste. Beat the eggs light, add the milk and rice, and a sufficient quantity of rice flour to make it the proper consistence. Stir in a tea-spoonful of pearlash dissolved in a little water, and bake on a griddle or in rings.

RICE CRUMPETS.

One pint and a half of beaten rice flour, one pint of milk, a large dessert-spoonful of butter, four dessert-spoonfuls of yeast, salt to the taste. Stir these ingredients well together, and set the mixture in a covered vessel to rise, in a warm place. Just before baking, stir in half a tea-spoonful of salæratus dissolved in a little water. Bake on a griddle. If the rice flour of commerce is used a pint will be sufficient.

RICE GRIDDLES.

Boil soft one gill of rice; while hot, stir into it a dessert-spoonful of butter; beat two eggs very light, and mix them with the rice after it becomes cold; add one gill of rice flour and half pint of milk. Stir all together just before baking. Bake quickly in a hot griddle, and the cakes will rise much.

PHILPY.

One gill of rice; boil it, and when cold rub it smooth with a spoon; moisten with water a gill of rice flour, and mix it into the boiled rice. Beat one egg very light, and stir it well into the mixture. If too stiff, add a spoonful or two of milk. Bake it on a shallow tin plate. Split and butter it when ready to serve.

RICE JOURNEY OR JOHNNY CAKE.

Half a pint of soft boiled rice, with just rice flour enough to make the batter stick on the board; salt to the taste— spread it on the board thick or thin, as it is wanted. Baste it with cream, milk or butter—cream is best. Set it before a hot fire, and let it bake until nicely browned; slip a thread under it, disengage it from the board, and bake the other side in the same manner, basting all the time it is baking.

PAN JOURNEY CAKE.

Half a pint of rice, a dessert-spoonful of butter, two table-spoonfuls of milk, two table-spoonfuls of fine rice flour—boil the rice quite soft, and stir the butter into it while hot. If the bread is wanted for breakfast, the rice must be boiled the night before; and if wanted for tea, it must be prepared in time for it to become cold before the other ingredients are mixed in. When ready to bake, stir in the milk and rice flour. Spread the mixture about half an inch thick in a shallow pan, which must be well greased; and bake about half an hour in a moderate oven.

RICE EGG CAKE.

To half cup of rice flour boiled stiff, add a large spoonful of butter. When cold, add three eggs, well beaten, and a cup of rice flour. Drop it on tin sheets, and bake quickly.

RICE WAFFLES—NO. 1.

Boil a small teacup of coarse rice flour (or rice) to a pap, and add to it a pint of fine rice flour, a half pint of milk, and a half pint of water—a little salt. Heat your iron, and grease it with a little lard; then pour in the batter, and bake the waffle of a light brown.

RICE WAFFLES—NO. 2.

A teacup of rice flour, two large spoonfuls of beaten rice boiled to a pap, a small teacup of milk, and one egg. This will bake four waffles.

WAFFLES—NO.3.

A teacup of cold hominy, half a spoonful of lard and the same of butter, two table-spoonfuls of wheat flour and twelve of rice flour; salt to the taste. Rub the butter and lard into the hominy; add the flour and a sufficient quantity of water to make a paste; rub it until very light, and then add milk enough to make the batter so thin as that it may be poured into the iron.

RICE AND WHEAT FLOUR WAFFLES.

Waffles are very good when made of a thin batter composed of soft boiled rice and a small proportion of either wheat or rice flour, with a spoonful of butter.

ALABAMA RICE BREAD.

One pint of rice boiled soft, six eggs beaten light, one pint of milk, half a pint of corn meal, a dessert-spoonful of lard and a dessert-spoonful of butter, a tea-spoonful of salt. Rub the ingredients well together, and bake in small tins or muffin rings.

SOFT RICE CAKES.

Melt a quarter of a pound of butter or lard in a quart of sweet milk. Beat two eggs light, add as much rice flour as will make it into a batter, mix with it half a teacup full of yeast and a little salt. When light, bake on a griddle like buckwheat cakes.

RICE CAKES—NO. 1.

Take one pint of soft boiled rice, half a pint of milk or water, and twelve spoonfuls of rice flour. Divide into small cakes, and bake in a quick oven.

RICE CAKES—NO. 2.

Three eggs, a table-spoonful of butter and one of cream, half a pint of milk, the same of hominy and six or seven table-spoonfuls of rice flour. All the ingredients to be well rubbed up in a marble mortar, and baked on tin sheets.

RICE CAKES—NO. 3.

One pint of soft boiled rice, a tea-spoonful of butter, an egg, half a pint of milk and half a pint of rice flour; salt to the taste. Beat all well together and bake in patties.

RICE CAKES—NO. 4.

Beat three eggs well, and add one quart of milk and a table-spoonful of wheat flour, a little butter and salt; then stir in as much rice flour as will make a thin batter. Add a teacup of yeast; set it to rise, and bake on a griddle when light.

RICE BISCUITS.

Boil soft half a pint of rice; when cold add to it half a pint of rice flour, a spoonful of fresh butter, half a pint of milk and sufficient salt; mix all well together, and drop it in large spoonfuls on tin sheets in the oven—bake till quite brown.

RICE WAFERS—NO. 1.

One pint of rice flour, one gill of milk and one of water, a dessert-spoonful of butter, and a little salt. Bake of a light brown.

RICE WAFERS—NO. 2.

To a pint of warm water put a pint of rice flour, and a tea-spoonful of salt. This will make two dozen wafers.

RICE FLOUR BALLS.

A pint of milk to a pint of flour; let the milk boil, stir the flour in with a little salt, add the yolk of an egg, roll into balls, and fry them with butter or