Recipe Manuscript

Biscuits Made Over Night

Name: Biscuits Made Over Night
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT15M
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 kg plain (all-purpose) flour; Pinch of salt; 30 g lard (or unsalted butter, or vegetable shortening as substitute); 1 large egg; 21 g fresh yeast cake (or 7 g instant dry yeast); 240 ml cold water; Melted butter for brushing (about 30 g)

1903

From the treasured pages of Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages

Written by Célestine Eustis

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Intermediate Breakfast Snack

Original Recipe • 1903

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Biscuits Made Over Night

"One quart of flour, pinch of salt, two tablespoonfuls of lard. Break over it a raw egg. One yeast cake in cupful of cold water. Knead it with the hand for twenty minutes. Let it rise over night. Cut out in round form with large cutter. Butter lightly with melted butterr. Turn it over and let it rise for two hours, and bake in quick oven."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe is a splendid example of early 20th-century home cookery: concise, direct, and assuming a reader’s practical kitchen knowledge. Ingredient quantities favor household measures (quarts, tablespoonfuls, cups) and there’s scant advice on temperature or times—relying instead on visual and tactile readiness. Spelling is charmingly old-fashioned ('table-spoonfuls,' 'quick oven'), and the use of terms like 'yeast cake' reflects the available products of the era. Modern yeast is supplied differently; the recipe converts well, but the overnight rise remains its heart and soul.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages (1903)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Célestine Eustis

Era

1903

Publisher

R.H. Russell

Background

Take a delicious journey back in time with this charming bilingual collection of Creole and American recipes, crafted for cozy households. Célestine Eustis blends French flair with Southern soul, guiding both the novice and seasoned gourmand through the distinct flavors and delightful traditions of old Creole kitchens.

Kindly made available by

Internet Archive

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the vibrant culinary landscape of early 20th-century New Orleans, as found in Celestine Eustis’s beloved 'La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages.' Published in 1903, the book draws from Creole traditions, merging French, Spanish, African, and American influences that defined Louisiana’s tables. The overnight method reflects both the slower rhythms and ingenuity of historic kitchens before refrigeration and rapid-rise yeasts changed breadmaking forever. Yeast-risen baked goods like these biscuits were foundational to daily life and feasts alike.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In 1903, this recipe would have been made in the heart of a busy Creole kitchen, using large ceramic or wooden mixing bowls, sturdy wooden spoons, and the baker’s hands for kneading—an essential touch. For cutting, a tin or metal biscuit cutter (or even an upturned glass) would suffice. The dough rose covered with a cloth, likely set atop a cool larder or kitchen sideboard overnight. Baking was done in a wood- or coal-fired oven—the 'quick oven' of the instructions—requiring the cook’s skill to judge and maintain proper temperature by intuition and experience.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

8 cups plain (all-purpose) flour (about 2.2 pounds)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons lard (or unsalted butter, or vegetable shortening as substitute) (about 1 ounce)
1 large egg
0.75-ounce fresh yeast cake (or 0.25 ounce instant dry yeast)
1 cup cold water
Melted butter for brushing (about 2 tablespoons or 1 ounce)

Instructions

To prepare these delightful overnight biscuits using modern methods, begin by placing 8 cups (about 2.2 pounds) of plain (all-purpose) flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add a generous pinch of salt, then rub in 2 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) of lard (or use unsalted butter or vegetable shortening as a substitute) until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Crack a raw egg over the flour mixture and gently mix to combine.
In a separate cup, dissolve a 0.75-ounce fresh yeast cake (or use 0.25 ounce instant dry yeast) in 1 cup of cold water.
Pour this yeast mixture into the flour mix.
Knead by hand for around 20 minutes, until you have a smooth and elastic dough.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise overnight at cool room temperature.
The next day, roll out the dough and cut it into rounds with a large cutter.
Lightly brush the tops of each biscuit with melted butter, then turn each biscuit over so the buttered side is underneath.
Let them rise for 2 more hours.
Bake in a hot oven, preheated to 425°F (220°C), for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Estimated Calories

210 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will need about 30 minutes to make the dough and prepare everything, plus time for two rises. Baking the biscuits takes about 12-15 minutes in the oven. Each biscuit has about 210 calories, and the whole recipe makes about 16 biscuits.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.