Grandpappy's Basic Recipes
A Collection of
Bread and Biscuit Recipes
(No Yeast or Eggs Required)
Copyright © 1976,2007 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Yeast causes the bread to rise and become light. Eggs add protein, color, and bulk to the bread. Eggs also increase the shelf life of the bread. Therefore, most bread recipes require both yeast and eggs. It is relatively difficult to find good bread recipes that don't require yeast and/or eggs. And if you just omit the yeast or eggs from the original recipe, you normally end up with a culinary disaster that your family will not eat. To produce good bread without yeast or eggs, the recipe needs to be modified and other ingredients added to give the bread flavor and texture.
The following recipes don't require yeast or eggs. The reason is simple. Sometimes you will be completely out of yeast and/or fresh eggs but your family will still need to eat. You may have the other necessary ingredients to make bread but you don't have any yeast or fresh eggs. And a quick trip to the local store may not be an option. In a situation such at this, the following recipes can be used to produce delightful results to satisfy your family's desire for bread.
Pancakes (No Eggs)
| 2 cups flour | 2 tbsp. baking powder | 1/2 tsp. salt |
| 1 cup milk | 1 tbsp. vinegar | 1 tbsp. honey |
Mix all ingredients together well, and then fry the pancakes on medium heat in a skillet, turning once.
Flour Tortillas (14 six-inch Tortillas)
| 2 cups flour | 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt | 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar (optional) |
| 1 tbsp. shortening | 1/2 to 3/4 cup water | 1/2 tbsp. baking powder (optional) |
Preparation: Sift flour and salt together. (If desired, add optional sugar and/or baking powder.) Add shortening and mix well. Slowly add just enough water to form a soft dough. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Make about 14 two-inch balls. Press (or roll) each ball into a flat six-inch circle.
Cook: Fry over medium heat on ungreased flat griddle until golden brown on both sides (about 1.5 to 2 minutes per side).
Salt-Rising Bread (Recipe One)
| 3.5 tbsp. cornmeal | 1/2 cup milk | 2 tbsp. brown sugar | 1/2 tsp. salt |
| 3 cups wheat flour | 1.5 tbsp. oil or melted shortening | 1 cup lukewarm water | |
Preparation: Bring milk almost to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the cornmeal, 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar, and salt. Put in a covered jar and place in a dish of hot water as hot as the hand can bear. Keep in a warm place overnight. By morning the mixture should show fermentation and gas can be heard to escape.
Then add 1 cup sifted wheat flour, 1.5 tbsp. oil, 1.5 tbsp. brown sugar, and 1 cup lukewarm water. Beat mixture thoroughly. Place in a dish of warm water again and let rise until light and full of bubbles.
Then add 2 cups sifted wheat flour or enough to make a stiff dough. Knead for 10 or 15 minutes. Place into greased loaf pan and let rise again.
Cook: Bake 15 minutes at 425°F, then lower temperature to 375°F and bake about 30 minutes longer.
Salt-Rising Bread (Recipe Two)
| 2 cups cornmeal | 2 cups milk | 2 tsp. granulated sugar | 1/2 tsp. salt |
| 8 cups wheat flour | 2 tbsp. oil or melted shortening | 1 cup warm water | 1/2 tsp. baking soda |
Preparation: Bring milk almost to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Stir until smooth. Cover with a towel and keep in a warm place overnight. In the morning, add one cup warm water, the baking soda, and 2.5 cups flour. Place the bowl in a pan of warm water and cover. Wait between 2 to 6 hours until the mixture starts to foam. As the original water cools, transfer the bowl to a new pan of warm water. Keep transferring the bowl to a new pan of warm water as the old water cools down. If the odor becomes very sour during this fermentation process, you will end up with a very sweet bread.
After the batter has risen, add the oil and more flour until you have a stiff dough. Knead for 10 or 15 minutes. Shape into two loaves and place into two greased loaf pans and let rise again.
Cook: Bake about one hour at 350°F or until lightly brown.
Irish Soda Bread
| 2 cups wheat flour | 1 tsp. baking soda | 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar |
| 1/2 tsp. salt | 1 tbsp. butter | 3/4 cup buttermilk |
Substitution: 2 tsp. baking powder can be used to replace both the baking soda and the cream of tartar.
Preparation: Mix flour, baking soda, tartar, and salt in a bowl. Mix in the butter. Pour in the buttermilk and mix quickly and lightly to a soft dough. Put on a floured baking sheet. Shape into a round loaf (do NOT knead the dough). Cut an “X” one-half inch deep across the entire top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Sprinkle lightly with flour.
Cook: Bake in preheated 450°F oven 10 minutes. Then reduce to 400°F and bake another 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Choctaw Indian Fry Bread (Requires no sugar) (14 Pieces)
or Navaho Indian Fry Bread (Add 1 tsp. Sugar to the Following Recipe)
or Indian Tortillas or Indian Fried Scones
| 2.25 cups wheat flour | 2 tsp. baking powder or soda | 1 tsp. salt |
| 1/4 cup milk | 3/4 cup water | 2 tbsp. shortening (optional) |
Preparation: Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl (with the optional sugar). Stir in the water and milk (and the optional shortening). Knead with hands. Divide into 14 balls about two-inches in diameter. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Pat each ball into a five-inch diameter flat circle. Make a small hole in the center with your finger.
Cook: Fry in several inches of hot oil (390°F) for about 1 minute on each side or until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot with honey.
Variation - Indian Tortillas: Use above Fry Bread Recipe but press the dough very thin.
Variation - Indian Fried Scones: Omit the milk. Increase water to 1 cup. Add 1 tbsp. sugar. Shape as scones and fry until golden brown. Serve with butter, honey, or jam.
Variation - Cornmeal Option: Add 1/3 cup cornmeal to the above recipe and increase the water to a total of 1 cup (instead of 3/4 cup).
Baking Powder Biscuits
| 2 cups wheat flour | 1 tbsp. baking powder | 1 tsp. salt |
| 6 tbsp. butter or lard | 1 cup milk or cream | 1 tbsp. sugar (optional) |
Preparation: Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Blend in the warm butter. Slowly add the milk to the mixture until the dough holds together. Knead well and mold into small biscuits with your hands. Put on ungreased baking sheet.
Cook: Bake at 425ºF for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Yields a sweet biscuit that will keep for days in a dry place.
Camp Biscuits or Biscuit Twists
| 1/2 cup flour | 1/4 tsp. baking powder | 1/4 tsp. salt |
| 2 tbsp. oil or shortening or lard | warm water | |
Preparation: Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in oil or shortening. Add just enough warm water to make a stiff dough.
Camp Biscuits Cook: Drop by spoonfuls onto greased tin. Bake until brown.
Biscuit Twists Cook: Mold dough into a ribbon about two-inches wide and thick as your little finger. Twist around a clean stick in a spiral fashion, and bake over hot coals near a campfire until done (similar to a roasted marshmallow).
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com