Vintage Eats Recipe: 1905 Baking Powder Biscuits

Among my purchases from an online auction was a cookbook entitled “20^th Century Cookbook.”

While the title is not exactly auspicious, the title page (first page inside front cover) provided more information:

“A Feast of Good Things, A Careful Compilation of Tried and Approved Recipes, The Ladies’ Aid Society of the United Brethren Church, Monroeville, Indiana 1905.”

Monroeville is a town east of Fort Wayne in northeastern Indiana. I have spoken about WWII at the Monroeville branch of the Allen County Public Library for members of the Four Corners History Club which meet there monthly.

This small town has a history museum that shows the effort its citizens make to ensure their town’s history is not forgotten.

I don’t know if they have a copy of this cookbook in the museum, but I’m happy to promote their history by sharing this recipe as printed in the volume with a couple of my 21^st century suggestions:

1. Sift 1 quart flour and three teaspoons baking powder. (I used an antique sifter for fun)
2. Rub in 2 tablespoons lard or butter, or half-and-half. (I used butter)
3. Wet with nearly 1 part of sweet milk. (I used approximately ½ cup skim milk)
4. Roll about 1-inch thick on well-floured board. (I used a plastic pastry sheet)
5. Bake 15 or 20 minutes in hot oven. (I used 400 degrees).
6. Can use more butter and water instead of milk. (I prefer to use milk for richness)

This is an exceptionally simple recipe as I discovered most were from this time period. Preparing food was such a cumbersome task that biscuits would have been a staple in most homes for daily, if not every, meal.

Wheat was plentiful and affordable and available to most people.

Biscuits are fun to eat with a little butter and jam slathered on. They are a good accompaniment for stews and other hearty meals. As the temperatures finally cool down, pull out your rolling pin and give this recipe a try. You can whip it out of your oven in under an hour!

I plan to showcase other recipes from this sweet compilation in future posts. There is an especially delicious ginger cake that will be in December in time for Christmas!

By the way, just in case you’re wondering, I’ve taken a break on bidding in online auctions. I’ve acquired enough cookbooks to last me a good long while. Fact is, I donated dozens that were ‘too new’ to me to my library for their recent book sale.

By focusing on cookbooks that are pre-1984, it is easy to discard those not that old.

Yes, that means turning down interesting-looking books, but for the sake of my sanity and organizational skills, I’m being scrupulous.

What is your interest in cookbooks? Do you prefer those from a certain era or nationality or cooking method like air fryers?

Please share and take care,