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Hot Cross Biscuits
HOT CROSS BISCUITS THE TAMPA TRIBUNE
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt, optional
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon) margar-
ine, chilled
¼ cup dried currants or raisins
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
Card 1 Back:
2 tablespoons oats (quick or old-fashioned,
uncooked)
ICING; 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 teaspoons
buttermilk
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease cookie
sheet.
In large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients; mix
well. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or
2 knives until crumbly. Stir in currants and
orange peel. Add buttermilk, mixing just until
moistened. Turn out onto lightly floured sur-
face; knead gently 6-8 times. Roll or pat dough
Card 2 Front:
HOT CROSS BISCUITS, CARD NUMBER 2
to ½-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2½-inch
biscuit cutter.
Gather dough scraps together (do not knead);
reroll and cut until all dough is used. Place
on prepared cookie sheet. Brush tops with
melted margarine and sprinkle with remaining
oats. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden
brown. Remove to wire rack; cool 3 minutes.
For icing, combine powdered sugar and buttermilk
- mix well. Using a small spoon, drizzle
icing on each biscuit in the shape of a cross.
Serve warm.
Yield: 1 dozen.
Card 2 Back: blank
---
# Hot Cross Biscuits
*The Tampa Tribune*
*Yield: 1 dozen*
## Ingredients
### Biscuits
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
- 2 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt, optional
- 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp plus 1 tsp) margarine, chilled
- 1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
- 1 tsp grated orange peel
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked), for topping
### Icing
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tsp buttermilk
## Instructions
### Biscuits
1. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients (flour through salt); mix well.
3. Cut in chilled margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until crumbly.
4. Stir in currants and orange peel.
5. Add buttermilk, mixing just until moistened.
6. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 6–8 times.
7. Roll or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
8. Gather dough scraps together (do not knead); reroll and cut until all dough is used.
9. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Brush tops with melted margarine and sprinkle with remaining oats.
10. Bake 10–12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove to wire rack; cool 3 minutes.
### Icing
1. Combine powdered sugar and buttermilk; mix well.
### Assembly
1. Using a small spoon, drizzle icing on each biscuit in the shape of a cross.
2. Serve warm. -
Spy Wednesday Biscuits
SPY WEDNESDAY BISCUITS THE TAMPA TRIBUNE
½ cup currants 1 teaspoon salt
1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 c. chilled vegetable
1 c. warm water shortening, cut into
4 cups flour bits
½ cup sugar 1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda 2/3 c. butter, melted
4 tsp. baking powder and cooled
Place currants in a dish, cover with hot water
and set aside.
Mix yeast with 1 cup of warm water in a bowl,
and set aside for 5 minutes, until frothy.
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder
Card 1 Back:
and salt together in a bowl. Cut in shortening
with a pastry blender until the mixture has the
texture of coarse cornmeal. Or use a food pro-
cessor.
Drain currants, and mix into the dough. Lightly
stir in the yeast mixture and the buttermilk
just until ingredients are moist. Transfer
dough to a floured surface and knead gently.
Line 2 lg. baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle about ½"
thick. Cut rounds with a 2½" biscuit cutter.
Scraps can be gently kneaded together and rolled
and cut. Dip each cut biscuit into the melted
butter; place them 1" apart on the parchment.
Card 2 Front:
SPY WEDNESDAY BISCUITS, CARD NUMBER 2
Set aside to rise.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake about 15
minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Yields: about 40 biscuits.
Card 2 Back: blank
---
# Spy Wednesday Biscuits
*The Tampa Tribune*
*Yields about 40 biscuits*
## Ingredients
- 1/2 cup currants
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into bits
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
## Instructions
1. Place currants in a dish, cover with hot water, and set aside.
2. Mix yeast with 1 cup of warm water in a bowl, and set aside for 5 minutes, until frothy.
3. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal. Or use a food processor.
4. Drain currants and mix into the dough. Lightly stir in the yeast mixture and the buttermilk just until ingredients are moist. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead gently.
5. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2" thick. Cut rounds with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Scraps can be gently kneaded together, rolled, and cut.
6. Dip each cut biscuit into the melted butter and place them 1" apart on the parchment.
7. Set aside to rise.
8. Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. -
Spiced Currants or Gooseberries
Spiced currants or
goose berries.
Cook either fruit until
thick with sugar to taste
and add a little cloves
and cinnamon to taste.
Back: blank
---
# Spiced Currants or Gooseberries
## Ingredients
- Currants or gooseberries
- Sugar, to taste
- Cloves, a little, to taste
- Cinnamon, to taste
## Instructions
1. Cook either fruit until thick with sugar to taste.
2. Add a little cloves and cinnamon to taste. -
Green Tomato Mince Meat
Green Imato Mince Meat.
1 pk. green tomatoes - chopped
and drained ov nite.
1½ lbs. seedless raisins (small)
1½ lbs. currants.
½ 6 lbs. brown sugar.
½ pt. vinegar, or (apple cider)
1 teaspoon salt.
Boil this altogether slowly for 2½ hrs
(don't chop raisins) Then add 1 teaspoon
Back:
each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,
and allspice, 2 qts. of apples,
chopped and 1 cup of suet chopped
boil tho. longer.
---
# Green Tomato Mince Meat
## Ingredients
- 1 pk. green tomatoes, chopped and drained overnight
- 1 1/2 lbs. seedless raisins (small)
- 1 1/2 lbs. currants
- 1/2 of 6 lbs. brown sugar
- 1/2 pt. vinegar, or apple cider
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 qts. apples, chopped
- 1 cup suet, chopped
## Instructions
1. Chop green tomatoes and drain overnight.
2. Combine tomatoes, raisins (do not chop), currants, brown sugar, vinegar or apple cider, and salt.
3. Boil altogether slowly for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Add 1 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, along with the chopped apples and chopped suet.
5. Boil longer. -
Hermits
Hermits
1 ½ cup sugar
2/3 cup shortning cream
together
2 eggs
1 cup of choppted raisins
1 teaspoon soda
little salt dissolved
in 3 tablespoons of milk
all kinds of spice.
Hermits.
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortning cream
together x
1 egg.
¾ cup of sour milk
1/3 cups chopped raisins
Back:
Mrs. Jorko
Custom House and Post Office, Rockland, Me.
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
.. cinnamon
" cloves
little salt.
Hermits.
2 cups sugar.
1 cup butter or lard or half
and half and cream togeth
1 cup raisins, 1 cups currants
chopped 2 eggs 1 half cup
of sour milk, salt, teaspoon
soda teaspoon cloves, nutmeg
cinnamon, flour to roll sti
---
# Hermits (Three Versions)
## Version 1 — Drop Hermits (Inferred)
### Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup raisins, chopped
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Pinch salt dissolved in 3 Tbsp milk
- Spices to taste (see Editor's Notes)
- 2–2 1/2 cups flour (see Editor's Notes)
### Instructions
1. Cream sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Stir in chopped raisins.
4. Dissolve baking soda and salt in 3 Tbsp milk; add to mixture.
5. Add spices and flour gradually until a soft drop cookie dough forms.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
7. Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes until set and lightly browned at edges.
8. Cool on pan for a few minutes before removing.
---
## Version 2 — Sour Milk Drop Hermits (Inferred)
*(Incomplete — see Editor's Notes)*
### Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sour milk
- 1/3 cup raisins, chopped
- Spices to taste (see Editor's Notes)
- Flour to make a soft drop dough (approximately 2 cups — see Editor's Notes)
### Instructions
1. Cream sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg.
3. Stir in sour milk and chopped raisins.
4. Add spices and flour gradually until a soft drop cookie dough forms.
5. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes until set and lightly browned at edges.
7. Cool on pan for a few minutes before removing.
---
## Version 3 — Rolled Hermits (Traditional) (Inferred)
### Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter, lard, or half butter and half lard
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup currants, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour milk
- Pinch salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Flour to roll stiff (approximately 4–5 cups — see Editor's Notes)
### Instructions
1. Cream sugar and butter or lard together until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time.
3. Stir in raisins, currants, and sour milk.
4. Add salt, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon; mix well.
5. Add flour gradually until dough is stiff enough to roll without sticking.
6. On a floured board, roll dough to approximately ¼" thickness.
7. Cut into rectangles or squares.
8. Place on a greased baking sheet.
9. Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes until set and lightly browned at edges.
---
## Editor's Notes
**What are Hermits?**
Hermits are a classic American spiced drop or rolled cookie dating to at least the 1870s, particularly associated with New England. Dense, chewy, and heavily spiced with dried fruit, they were prized for keeping well in a tin for several weeks — a practical virtue for farmhouse baking.
**Baking instructions missing from all versions:**
All three versions end at the mixing stage; baking was assumed knowledge. Baking details inferred from standard period Hermit recipes.
**"All kinds of spice" (Version 1):**
Deliberately vague — Version 3 gives the likely intended blend: cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Recommended starting point: 1/2–1 tsp each. Allspice and ginger are also period-appropriate additions.
**Flour missing from Versions 1 and 2:**
Neither version specifies flour quantity. Estimated from fat/sugar/egg ratios: approximately 2–2 1/2 cups for Versions 1 and 2 (drop cookies); approximately 4–5 cups for Version 3 (rolled cookie).
**Version 2 is a fragment:**
Original card instructions end after "Cream sugar and shortening together" — all subsequent steps inferred from Versions 1 and 3. Spices and flour entirely absent from original. Flag as significantly incomplete.
**"Sour milk" (Versions 2 and 3):**
Period term for naturally soured whole milk, similar to buttermilk. Modern substitution: add 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice per cup of whole milk and let stand 5 minutes.
**Version 3 has duplicate nutmeg:**
Original card lists nutmeg twice (likely a transcription error on the card itself). One tsp nutmeg intended.
**Drop vs. rolled:**
Versions 1 and 2 are soft drop cookies; Version 3 is the older, more traditional rolled-and-cut style. The three versions together suggest the recipe evolved in this household from rolled to drop over time, or reflect different sources.
**Three versions on one card:**
Unusual and archivally significant — suggests the contributor was actively comparing or consolidating recipes rather than copying a single trusted source. -
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns
Here's the good, old-fashioned way to
plump, tender, spicy buns—
2 packages active dry yeast
or 2 cakes compressed yeast
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk, scalded
1/2 cup salad oil or melted
shortening
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups sifted enriched flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 beaten eggs
2/3 cup currants
• • •
1 slightly beaten egg white
Sifted confectioners' sugar
Soften active dry yeast in warm
water or compressed yeast in luke-
warm water. Combine milk, salad
oil, sugar, and salt; cool to luke-
warm. Sift together 1 cup of the flour
and the cinnamon; stir into milk
mixture. Add eggs; beat well. Stir
in softened yeast and currants. Add
remaining flour (or a little more or
less to make a soft dough). Cover
with damp cloth and let rise in
warm place till double (about 1 1/2
hours). Punch down. Roll or pat
out to 1/2 inch on lightly floured
surface. Cut in rounds with 2 1/2-
inch biscuit cutter; shape in buns.
Place on greased baking sheet
about 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover and
let rise in warm place till almost
double (about 1 hour). If desired,
(over)
Back:
cut shallow cross in each bun with
sharp scissors or knife. Brush tops
with egg white. Bake in moderate
oven (375°) about 12 minutes, or
till done. Add confectioners' sugar
(about 3/4 cup) to the remaining
egg white. Use this as a frosting for
piping crosses on warm buns.
Makes about 2 dozen.
---
# Hot Cross Buns
## Ingredients
- 2 packages active dry yeast, or 2 cakes compressed yeast
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup milk, scalded
- 1/2 cup salad oil or melted shortening
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups sifted enriched flour
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2/3 cup currants
## Frosting
- 1 egg white, slightly beaten
- 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
## Instructions
1. Soften active dry yeast in warm water, or compressed yeast in lukewarm water.
2. Combine milk, salad oil, sugar, and salt; cool to lukewarm.
3. Sift together 1 cup of the flour and the cinnamon; stir into milk mixture.
4. Add eggs; beat well.
5. Stir in softened yeast and currants.
6. Add remaining flour (or a little more or less to make a soft dough).
7. Cover with damp cloth and let rise in warm place till double, about 1 1/2 hours.
8. Punch down. Roll or pat out to 1/2 inch on lightly floured surface.
9. Cut in rounds with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter; shape into buns.
10. Place on greased baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.
11. Cover and let rise in warm place till almost double, about 1 hour.
12. If desired, cut a shallow cross in each bun with sharp scissors or knife.
13. Brush tops with egg white.
14. Bake in moderate oven (375°) about 12 minutes, or till done.
15. Add confectioners' sugar (about 3/4 cup) to the remaining egg white; use this as a frosting