Name: Gem Biscuit
Ingredients: 1 lb cornmeal; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 pint milk; 1 oz ammonia

Gem Biscuit

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

1 lb cornmeal
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pint milk
1 oz ammonia

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, salt, milk, and ammonia until well combined.

Shape and bake

Cut the dough with a small oval cutter.
Brush the tops with milk.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Cornmeal: Forms the main body of the dough and gives the biscuit its structure and grainy texture.
Milk: Adds moisture to bind the dough, and the brushed milk helps the tops brown in the oven.
Ammonia: Acts as a leavening agent, releasing gas as it bakes to lift the dough.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.