LESSON 6

Soft Doughs

As we said in Lesson 3, there are two types of dough (besides two types of batter)—
Soft Dough and Stiff Dough.

Biscuit doughs, which we shall study in this lesson, belong to the Soft Dough
classification. The approximate proportion of sifted Monarch Pastry Flour to
liquid in this type of mixture, is 3 cups sifted flour to 1 cup liquid—and it should
be admitted here, that some Soft Doughs are much softer than others! (I am thinking
at the moment of dumplings, drop biscuits, and their like.)

Soft Dough (which, incidentally, is mixed by an entirely different method from
any of those which we ordinarily use for batters), lends itself to a great variety
of dishes, such as biscuits, scones, dumplings, shortcakes, upside-down cakes,
roly-poly puddings, dough pie-toppings—and each of these products may be made
in either savory or sweet form.

A most useful type of flour mixture, these Soft Doughs!

TO MAKE A SOFT DOUGH

“‘Have ingredients cold” is the rule for doughs, mixed as taught in this lesson.
(We follow the same rule when making pastry.)

(1) If the oven is to be used, prepare it as directed in Lesson 1; if such a thing
as a roly-poly is to be steamed, prepare the steamer, bringing plenty of water to
boil in the lower pan over which steamer should fit closely. The steamer itself
should of course have a close-fitting cover.

(2) Prepare whatever pans, moulds, etc., will be required, by greasing them, etc.
(3) Collect utensils.

(4) Prepare such things as fruit, nuts, etc., if being used.

(5) Set out all ingredients except those which will come from the refrigerator
(fat, liquid, eggs).

(6) Sift once an approximate amount of Monarch Pastry Flour, from which
required amount can then be measured.

(7) Measure the fine dry ingredients; mix and sift them the required number
of times; the final sifting should be into a mixing bowl.

(8) Measure firm, cold fat (by spoonfuls for small amounts; by “‘displacement,”
.see Lesson 1, for large amounts). Fat suitable for the dish you are making may be
chosen from butter, commercial shortening, lard . . . and for meat-pie toppings or
savory dumplings, a fine-flavored dripping might be used.

Cut fat into dry ingredients with two knives (one in each hand and used with
a scissors motion), or with one knife or a wire dough-blender. Use a quick, short
chopping motion until all the fat is reduced to small particles; if instructions are to
“‘chop finely”, reduce fat to size of small wheat-grains; if instructions are to “‘chop
coarsely,’’ reduce pieces of fat to size of small peas.

(9) Add any coarse-grained cereals, sugar, prepared fruits, nuts, etc., and mix
in well.

35 | LESSON 6

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