My father was the eldest of five, my mother of four... and when my little sister was born, she was the second oldest grandchild on either side of the family ... meaning that I turned a whole bunch of folks into aunts, uncles, grandparents, granduncles, grandaunts and a few greatgrands too; not to mention all the first and second removed cousins what got promoted. Better still, I held center stage for a long time and they all treated their new play toy really well!
Mama's mama was the world's greatest cook, hand's down ... no contest ... but, Daddy's mama could make breads ... all kinds ... better than anybody else, bar none, even Mama said so ... and it was true! 
Well, all except hotwater and cracklin' cornbread ... Grandma Hatchett was the world's best at those and biscuits too. Daddy's mama, my "Grandma" ... she had all kinds of flour and could bake most any kind of bread ... real good! However this ain't about no bread ... she made teacakes, special ... just for me, every time we visited ... well, at least until they moved to the city and left the old wood stove behind!
She made me a large cloth sack with straps ... filled it full and hung it around my neck ... and as I grew, she increased the size of the sack to accommodate a three day's supply. I miss her teacakes almost as much as I miss "Grandma" herself ... with emphasis on the almost.
I can't really describe them ... never could ... it's been over 55 years since I last tasted one and if I couldn't do it then, well ... just know that they were to die for!
I say special, just for me ... that not exactly true ... she made them for Grandpa too, and Daddy when he was a boy! Unfortunately, I have neither the recipe nor a wood stove ... alas and alak!One thing's for certain ... they weren't no sugar cookies like you buy in the store ... them things are for sissies, and not nearly as good. She rolled out the dough on a large board lightly covered with flour mixed with sugar ... and sprinkled some of that mixture on them just before baking too ... the ones burned on the bottom were the best, but they weren't what I'd describe as hard or crispy.
Grandma told Mama that she got it from her own mama but it was the same as Lottie Moon's recipe ... but, like most things, written recipes don't mean much ... she'd been making them since the turn of the century and as with all good cooks, it was all her!
A few years back, I was frequently reminded of Lottie Moon when I helped my friend David Thagana's then small Kenyan ministry. One of its primary focuses was the "street" children, mostly orphaned as a result of AIDS ... spreading their spiritual message, caring for them, feeding them ... taking some into their orphanage and finding others homes.
The success of David's Ministry is a testimony to the man himself, his beliefs and his dedication ... but, like Lottie Moon, they found that the kids were more receptive to spiritual food after receiving something for the tummy! No telling what they could have done if they used teacakes instead of plain bread!
Lottie Moon's recipe seems pretty simple ...
4 pints of plain flour
Simple perhaps, but my thinking has always been that a tea cup = 6 ounces (3/4 of a regular cup) so that 4 pints of plain flour would convert to 10 2/3 teacups ... the proof of the teacake is in the eating ... the more flour, the less sweet.
1 teacup of sour milk
Grandma would put milk, straight from the cow, into quart canning jars, seal them and leave them on the porch ... same as she did when churning to make butter and buttermilk ... that's how she got her "sour milk" ... don't think she added anything.
That still works ... but, just adding a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of whole milk will do the trick ... just stir and let sit until it curdles ... takes maybe 15 minutes. Truth is ain't much if any difference 'tween sour milk and buttermilk when it comes to cooking ... only makes good sense ... there are two kinds of milk, sweet and sour ... "sweetmilk" and "buttermilk" ... buttermilk or sourmilk, take your choice.
Okay then, in teacups ...
10 2/3 teacups of plain flour
1 teacup of sour milk
3 teacups of sugar
1 teacup of butter
3 large eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
That's 15 2/3 teacups of mixture, not counting the eggs and soda ... no big deal ... but if you treat a teacup like a cup in the recipe calling for 4 pints (8 cups) of flour, you get 1 2/3 more teacups of mixture (17 1/3 teacups) ... suggesting that you might want to use extra large eggs and a pinch more soda.
Flavor to taste, roll thin, bake in a quick oven.
Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and mix it well before adding in the flour, soda and sour milk ... you could add maybe a teaspoon of vanilla extract for the "flavoring to taste" part ... but I don't think Grandma did.
Dust the surface on which you're rolling out the dough with your flour/sugar mixture ... my mind says she used powdered sugar, like a cake flour ... but I remember, as should you, that I was very young at the time. That's what I've done though, the few times I've tried to find her secret formula. I think I came pretty close once ... and though nobody passed out no cigars, they didn't leave none for me neither.
Granny didn't have one but I suggest using nonsticking cookie sheets ... a quick oven ... I guess some ovens are quicker than others, mine's slower than me ... but as a rule of thumb, I think a "quick oven" is one that's preheated at 400-425. Grandma used a wood stove and they were almost burned on the bottom in about 5 minutes ... my guess it was hotter. I cook them at 425-450 on parchment paper ... still 5 minutes.
Keep in mind ... roughly 17 teacups of mixture ... makes more than just a few teacakes!
This is the so called "adapted" recipe for Lottie's teacakes:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg ... about 2 ounces
1 tablespoon cream
... roughly 1/3 the volume of the original before milk and soda, but not anything the original mixture if you ask me!
Here's my adaptation of choice ...3 1/2 cups plain flour
2/3 stick of butter
1 cup sugar (heaping!)
1 extra large egg, well beaten
1/3 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda
Nice thing is that just about anything close to that usually turns out pretty good. The milk is what I call the flex ... if when it's all mixed up, the dough seems a bit too dry, add a little more! After two or three times out, my guess is that you'll have your very own version perfected!
If those thirds give you headache, but a dozen small eggs and try ...
5 cups plain flour
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 small eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
A bit less flour relatively speaking should make them just a bit sweeter too ... so I eliminated the "heaping" part but but there ain't no law agin' it ... should make about 36 teacakes, methinks.
Grandma made some different shapes for me ... like "gingerbread" characters, but mostly used a canning jar to cut her teacakes ... they were spaced close together so that they ran together when baked ... but it didn't matter to me! Don't forget the special sack ... that's important ... kids remember little things like that, sometimes for 60 years or more!
Wish this was Grandma's exact old recipe ... hope you'll share some of your grandmothers' recipes with us ... mother's too!
Enjoy!!
Well, my adapted version makes about 24 teacakes and is pretty danged close ... Granny's was just a bit sweeter. I sprinkled a bit more sugar on the last nine and that seemed to do the trick ... ain't supposed to be too sweet noways ... but I suggest making that a heaping cup of sugar ... and will change it right now!
ReplyDeleteThese are the best teacakes that Mr. Bobby has ever made. He may have finally cracked the secret code without buying a wood cook stove. There was a time that I was afraid that one would show up at our front door
ReplyDeleteI think 6 minutes at 425 may be the best ... the batch at 450 for 6-7 minutes were good while still hot but got too hard to eat after they cooled!
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