MASTER MIX — From the COOKS.COM Culinary Archive.

MASTER MIX (Part II of V)

BISCUITS

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            3 cups               1 cup
Milk           2/3 cup              1/4 cup
Yield          18 2-inch            6 2-inch

  Add milk to the Mix all at once, stirring 25 strokes.  Knead 15 strokes on lightly floured board.  Roll 1/2 inch thick.  Cut.  Bake on baking sheet in a hot oven (450 degrees) 10 minutes.

  Biscuit dough can be used in many ways.  For variation grated cheese, chopped parsley, chives or herbs blended with the dough lend interest.  This dough is rich enough for shortcake or for the top crust of a chicken or meat pie.  It will serve as the dough for a meat roll — chopped meat bound together with gravy and spread over the dough, then rolled as a jelly roll and cut before baking.  This can be served with gravy or with a cheese sauce.

  The dough can be used as a covering in baked apple dumplings or for the dough for a fruit or pinwheel roll.  It can be dropped on top of hot stewed fruit or berries and baked as a "cobbler."

  Drop biscuits can be made from this recipe by increasing the milk to 1 cup for the family size recipe or to 1/3 cup for the "Just for Two" size recipe.

MUFFINS

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            3 cups               1 cup
Sugar          2 tablespoons        1 tablespoon
Milk           1 cup                1/3 cup
Egg            1                    1/2 or one yolk
Yield          12 medium            6 small

  Add sugar to the Mix.  Combine milk and beaten egg.  Add to the Mix.  Stir until flour is just moistened (about 25 strokes).   Bake in greased muffin pans in hot oven (425 degrees) about 20 minutes.

  Blueberry muffins can be made by adding a cup of drained blueberries to the family size recipe.  Chopped dates, chopped nuts, chopped apples or chopped cranberries are good additions.  Make oatmeal or bran muffins by substituting rolled oats or bran for 1/3 of the Mix.  Nut or fruit bread may be made from the muffin recipe by adding 1/2 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup chopped dried apricots or prunes to the family size recipe and baking it in a loaf pan.

GRIDDLE CAKES OR WAFFLES

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            3 cups               1 cup
Milk           1 1/2 cups           1/2 cup
Egg            1                    1/2 or 1 yolk
Yield          18 griddle cakes or  6 griddle cakes or
               6 waffles            2 waffles

  Stir the combined milk and beaten egg into the Mix until blended.  Bake on hot griddle or in waffle iron.

  The milk can be increased if a thinner griddle cake is desired.  If the batter is thinner, the waffles require longer baking to make them crisp.

COFFEE CAKE

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            2 1/4 cups           1 cup
Sugar          1/3 cup              3 tablespoons
Milk           1/3 cup              3 tablespoons
Egg            1                    1/2 or 1 yolk

Topping

Brown Sugar 1/2 cup            1/4 cup
Butter    3 tablespoons        1 tablespoon
Cinnamon  1/2 teaspoon         1/4 teaspoon
Yield     8x8 cake             4x6 cake

  Stir sugar into the Mix.  Combine milk and beaten egg.  Stir into the Mix until well blended (about one minute).  Put into shallow greased pan.  Spread or dot topping over batter and bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) about 25 minutes.

  The brown sugar mixture can be used as a filling instead of a topping.  A date topping or filling can be used instead of the one given above.  For a filling, spread about half of the batter in the pan, then a thin layer of filling and then the remaining batter.  For the family size recipe, blend 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 cup soft butter, 1/4 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup chopped dates.  For the smaller recipe use 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons soft butter, 2 tablespoons chopped nuts and 1/4 cup chopped dates.

GINGERBREAD

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            2 cups               1 cup
Sugar          1/4 cup              2 tablespoons
Cinnamon       1/2 teaspoon         1/4 teaspoon
Ginger         1/2 teaspoon         1/4 teaspoon
Cloves         1/4 teaspoon         1/4 teaspoon
Egg            1                    1/2 or 1 yolk
Molasses       1/2 cup              1/4 cup
Water          1/2 cup              1/4 cup
Yield          6x8 pan              4x6 pan

  Stir sugar and spices into the Mix.  Combine egg, molasses and water.  Stir half the liquid into the Mix and beat two minutes.  Stir in remaining liquid and beat one minute.  Bake in pan lined with waxed paper in a moderate oven (350 degrees) about 40 minutes.  Or bake in a waffle iron for gingerbread waffles.  Gingerbread waffles can be topped with sweetened whipped cream and chopped bananas.

DUMPLINGS

               Family Size          Just for Two
Mix            3 cups               1 cup
Milk           3/4 cup              1/4 cup
Yield          12 medium            4 medium

  Add milk to the Mix all at once, stirring about 30 strokes.  Drop by tablespoon on top of boiling stew.  Cover and boil gently 12 minutes without removing cover.  These can be topped as a topping on a meat or vegetable casserole and baked in a hot oven about 20 minutes.