Ripper Records: An Archive of Jack the Ripper and the 1888 Whitechapel Murders

Items

• Down-South Biscuits
  Down-South Biscuits Sift together .......... 4 cups sifted cake flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt Cut in .......... 3/4 cup butter Stir in gradually ........... 3/4 cup buttermilk Turn on floured board and knead lightly 2 minutes. Roll 1/4" tick; cut with small floured cutter. Bake in shallow pan in hot oven at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. Amount: 2 1/2 dozen biscuits
• Poppy Seed Rolls
  Poppy Seed Rolls 3 to 3-1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1-1/2 T. sugar 1/2 t. salt 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/2 c. dairy sour cream 1/4 c. water 1/2 c. butter or margarine 12 oz. can poppy filling 2 eggs, at room temperature In large bowl of electric mixer, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and dry yeast. In a saucepan, combine sour cream, water and butter or margarine. Heat over low heat until liquids are ver warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees; butter or margarine need not melt entirely.) Gradually add to dry ingredients then beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour. Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping at bowl occasionally. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board; knead a few times to form a ball. COver and let stand 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half out into a 14x12 inch rectangle. Spread each with 1/2 can of filling. Roll each up from one side, jelly roll fashion. Seal edges. Place on greased baking sheet, sealed edges down. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Preheat over to 350 degrees; bake about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. When serving, sprinkle top of roll with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Note: It's not the holidays without mom's poppy seed roll. It was a special treat for breakfast on Christmas and Easter morning.
• Challah
  Challah (makes four 1 pound loaves) 1 1/2 c. warm water 3 pkgs. active dry yeast 1 egg lightly beaten 4 egg yolks ( reserve the whites) 1/4/ c. plus 2 T. vegetable oil 1/3 c. plus 1 T. sugar 6 to 6 1/2 c. flour 1 T. salt poppy seeds, for topping researched egg whites beaten with 1 tsp. water, for egg wash In a mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir gently to dissolve. Add sugar and the egg, egg yollks, oil, 5 C. flour, and salt. Mix by hand or start mixer with dough hook at slow speed to keep the flour from flying around. Mix until the dough comes away from the side of the bow or if you are working by hand, until the dough comes together and can be removed from the bowl for kneading. Continue mixing for 15 minutes (or knead 15 minutes if working by hand). If the mixer begins to strain, stop for a few minutes to let the dough rest and loosen and the motor to cool. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover with clean cloth. Let rise until the dough has tripled in volume (1-2 hours in a Michigan summer, as many as 4 hours in a cold winter kitchen). After dough has risen, punch it down, cut into four equal chuncks and let them rest for 10 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work. Divide each dough chunk into 3, 4, or 6 pieces (depending on how complex a braid you want to make). Roll each piece between your hands and the table to make into a 12-14 inch rope. Braid the ropes into four loaves and place loaves on a baking tray. Let rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours). Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Brush the loaves with egg wash and sprinkle poppy seeds on top. Bake 25-35 minutes, until the breads are a dark, shiny brown and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it. Note: I make this on Sundays and freeze it to use on Fridays. It is a very stiff dough, easiest to make in a heavy duty mixer, but it can be made by hand if you are patient.
• Spiral Bread With Herb Filling
  Spiral Bread with Herb Filling Servings: 2 loaves Herb Filling: 4 cups parsley, chopped finely 4 cups green onions, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 Tbsp. butter 4 eggs beaten, lightly 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. white pepper dash Tabasco sauce Saute first 3 ingredients butter for 10 minutes. Cool. Mix in remaining ingredients. Set aside. Bread Dough: 1 cup scalded milk 2 Tbsp. sugar, granulated 2 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 cup shortening, soft 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup lukewarm water 2 pkg. yeast 7 cups bread flour, sifted beaten egg melted butter Combines first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. In a cup, dissolve yeast in lukeare water and add to milk mixture. Stir in 4 cups of flour, beating well; then mix in remaining flour. Turn our onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, grease surface of dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down and turn onto a floured surface. Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut dough in half and roll each into a rectangle, 8 by 10 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Brush with beaten egg. Spread with one-half of filling to within one inch of edges. Roll, jelly-roll fashion, and pinch edges to seal. Place in greased loaf pan, seam side down. Brush top with melted butter. Repeat for second half of dough. Cover with wax paper. Let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool.