K wrote:
> In article >,
> "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> I sometimes run across recipe that call for common crackers and
>> have had NO idea how large they were, which made it hard to
>> estimate that quantity of crumbs needed. I am flipping through a
>> book and just came across this, written by Ralph E. Flanders, the
>> then-Senator from Vermont: "The cracker called for in this recipe
>> is the old-fashioned 'common cracker' which in the old days filled
>> the cracker barrel at the country store. It goes under various
>> aliases such as St. Johnsbury cracker, Keene cracker, Montpelier
>> cracker, Hanover cracker, etc. It is the grandfather of the
>> regular oyster cracker, being however about three inches in diameter."
>>
>> Source: The All American Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of Famous
>> Persons. Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Schuetz-Hermann
>> Unit 283, Lebanon, Illinois. Marceline, Missouri: Walsworth
>> Bros., 1954. Page 46.
>
> Also found this at-
> http://www.food.com/recipe/common-crackers-273527
>
> Looks a little less complex
>
> Ingredients:
>
> Yields: 24 crackers
>
> 4 cups all-purpose flour
> 2 tablespoons sugar
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 1/4 cup butter
> 1 cup plus milk
> plus extra milk, to brush on crackers
> Directions:
>
> 1
> Sift together flour, salt and sugar.
>
> 2
> Cut in butter until mixture has the consistency of corm meal.
>
> 3
> Stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough.
>
> 4
> Roll to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board.
>
> 5
> Cut into 3-4 inch rounds.
>
> 6
> Prick surface with a fork.
>
> 7
> Brush surface with milk.
>
> 8
> Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for 15 to 18
> minutes or until light golden brown.
>
> 9
> Store in an airtight container.
>
> 10
> Split crackers and serve with chowder

I am betting the common crackers of yore were pretty plain. I was
mainly interested in their size, because one comes across very old
recipes that call for a certain number of common crackers. That
is pretty meaningless now. And that type of phenomenon is one
reason why I try to document some things on this group. It is now
very hard to come by, virtually lost.

--
Jean B.