The following muffin recipe was commonly eaten and much enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson and his family. The original "receipt," recorded in the manuscript cookbook of Jefferson's granddaughter Septimia Anne Randolph Meikleham is as follows:
To a quart of flour put two table spoons full of yeast. Mix . . . the
flour up with water so thin that the dough will stick to the table. Our
cook takes it up and throws it down until it will no longer stick [to
the table?] she puts it to rise until morning. In the morning she works
the dough over . . . the first thing and makes it into little cakes like
biscuit and sets them aside until it is time to back them. You know
muffins are backed in a gridle [before?] in the [fire?] hearth of the
stove not inside. They bake very quickly. The second plate full is put
on the fire when breakfast is sent in and they are ready by the time the
first are eaten.
Modern Day Monticello Muffins
4 cups of flour
1 1/2 packets of yeast
1 1/2 cups water
Cast iron griddle
Mix flour, yeast, and water. Dough will be very sticky. Coat your hands in flour before kneading the dough. While kneading, continue to add small amounts of flour to the dough until the stickiness disappears and the dough becomes more solid. You may find you add as much as 1/2 cup more flour during this process.
Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place overnight. The dough should more than double by morning. The underside of the dough may be a bit sticky -- if so, knead it a bit more. Using your hands, shape the muffins into small golf-ball sized balls. Set the muffins aside, cover with a towel, and let rise for an hour.
Preheat ungreased griddle over medium heat. Add shaped muffins to griddle and cook for about five minutes on each side.
The muffins will look like biscuits on the outside and English muffins on the inside. Serve immediately. Makes two-dozen small muffins.[1]
Modern Day Monticello Muffins
4 cups of flour
1 1/2 packets of yeast
1 1/2 cups water
Cast iron griddle
Mix flour, yeast, and water. Dough will be very sticky. Coat your hands in flour before kneading the dough. While kneading, continue to add small amounts of flour to the dough until the stickiness disappears and the dough becomes more solid. You may find you add as much as 1/2 cup more flour during this process.
Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place overnight. The dough should more than double by morning. The underside of the dough may be a bit sticky -- if so, knead it a bit more. Using your hands, shape the muffins into small golf-ball sized balls. Set the muffins aside, cover with a towel, and let rise for an hour.
Preheat ungreased griddle over medium heat. Add shaped muffins to griddle and cook for about five minutes on each side.
The muffins will look like biscuits on the outside and English muffins on the inside. Serve immediately. Makes two-dozen small muffins.[1]
Footnotes
- ↑ Developed from the original recipe by Monticello staff members Susan McCrary and Katherine G. Revell.
Further Sources
- Thomas Jefferson Foundation. The Monticello Classroom. http://classroom.monticello.org/kids/resources/profile/283/Monticello-Muffin-Recipe/
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