To Make Savoy Bisket

This recipe hails from the early 18th century, compiled by Mrs. Johnston circa 1700, and captures the transition in baking towards refined sponge biscuits—a specialty inspired by the French and Italian tradition of light, egg-based sweets. Known as 'Savoy Bisket,' these biscuits were likely served at fashionable tea-tables or used in grand desserts. During this period, sugar was still a luxury but increasingly found its way into recipes thanks to trade expansion. Eggs were prized for their ability to transform mixtures into airy, elegant confections, a practice made possible by improved kitchen tools and growing culinary sophistication among the gentry.

Cooks in 1700 would have used a large, deep earthenware or pewter bowl for beating the eggs and sugar, employing bundles of twigs or whisks made from birch as early predecessors to the balloon whisk. Flour would be sifted through linen or a fine sieve. The 'papers' mentioned are thick sheets of writing paper, greased and spread on flat baking sheets (or even directly on the oven floor). Baking occurred in a wood-fired oven, with careful management of the fire and heat to avoid burning such delicate treats. A small spoon or knife would be used to drop mounds of dough onto the paper, and sugar would be sprinkled by hand. There were no thermostats, so experience and intuition determined when the biskets were done.