Datsch represents a baking category all its own, although sharing some similarities with the Italian foccacia. Its Pennsylfaanisch name is a dialect term originating from southwest Germany to describe food with mush-like consistency, or flat breads made from mush or porridge. Thus, the root meaning of the Pennsylvania Dutch word Datschkuche is “mush cake.” Datsch is also interchangeable with Batsch, the same word pronounced a slightly different way, which many Pennsylvania Dutch children use for patty cake in a popular dialect word game. It even appears under the name of Blotch Kuchen in an Adamstown church cookbook from the 1950s. However, Datsch is the oldest form and derives from Latin dedicatio, an offering. So the line of thinking among food historians is that this flat bread probably descends from some very ancient form of Rhineland bannock (Johnny cake) with roots in pre-Christian tradition.
Regardless of its age and genealogy, Datsch as a distinct branch of baking has been largely ignored in published Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks, because the old-time breads made with mush or porridge (or more recently with mashed potatoes) were considered poverty foods and not subject to improvement – certainly not the sort of progressive thing worthy of Good Housekeeping or Bon Appétit. Yet no Dutchman scoffs at mush muffins (cornmeal Datsch cakes miniaturized), and few people seem to realize that under various disguises, Datsch is still very much with us, although it has evolved into something a bit different from its stodgy ancestor. Furthermore, Dutch cooks began calling the dish by other names when they stopped using the dialect, and this further disconnected them from the root idea. A case in point would be Elizabeth Rahn’s recipe for Raisin Datsch on page 102; she called it Bethlehem Cake, doubtless because that is where she found the recipe. Just the same, there are two types of Datsch cakes, and we have devoted an entire chapter to their rich and seemingly infinite variation – a first for any American cookbook.
Both types were normally eaten with stewed fruit, applesauce – or even stewed vegetables when prepared without sugar. The oldest and most traditional form was raised with yeast and required long, slow baking at a low temperature. This flat bread was brought from the Rhineland to colonial Pennsylvania, where it was baked in iron skillets down hearth under hot ashes, like St. Gertrude’s Datsch on page 103 (I have modernized that baking technique). The rustic character of this kind of bread declined in popularity with the advent of the cast iron cook stove in the 1840s.
The cook stove and the concurrent introduction of chemical leaveners (such as saleratus) led to the emergence of the other type of Datsch following the Civil War, when many Dutch housewives began embracing shortcuts like baking powder, fewer eggs and more adventuresome combinations of ingredients: a case in point, the Peanut Datsch on page 98, a late Victorian recipe developed for the Bethany Orphans’ Home in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. The baking powder Datsch is also lighter in texture, oftentimes sweetened with a little sugar, and may be considered an emergency dessert, since it can be assembled and baked within an hour. Datsch also makes a respectable coffee cake, which is doubtless one reason it has remained popular in Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse cookery.
Excellent when served with stewed apples and rhubarb – or stewed gooseberries. If serving with stewed fruit, eliminate the caraway seeds. The apple of choice for this dish was usually some type of codling (cooking apple), like Summer Rambo, a variety that is still common in Pennsylvania farm markets. Lacking an heirloom variety, you can always substitute Granny Smith, although Granny Smith does not break down quite like the old-time cookers.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (125g) sugar
1 cup (175g) tart green apples, pared, cored and shredded on the large holes of a vegetable grater
4 tablespoons (65g) melted butter
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
Topping:
2 tablespoons coarse sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seed or anise seed (or more to taste)
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a Schales pan and dust this with fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then add the shredded apple. Stir so that the apples and dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Make a valley in the center of the dry ingredients and add the melted butter. Beat the egg yolks until light and frothy, add the butter milk, then pour this into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold this into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared Schales pan. Scatter the sugar and caraway seed (or anise) over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fully risen and turning golden. Best when hot from the oven or reheated in a microwave oven for 1 minute on high.
In the fall, when frost begins nipping the air, there is always a scramble in the kitchen garden to salvage whatever lingering fruits and vegetables may be on hand. This is one reason the Pennsylvania Dutch housewife likes her chow-chows: just about anything can go into those pickles. By the same token, firm green tomatoes that otherwise would ripen insipid on a windowsill are perfect for this flavorful autumn dessert.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (125g) sugar
½ cup (85g) tart green apples, pared, cored and shredded on the large holes of a vegetable grater
½ cup (85g) firm green tomatoes, shredded on the large holes of a vegetable grater
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon (10g) poppy seeds
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
4 tablespoons (65g) melted butter
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) sour cream
Topping:
Poppy seeds
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a Schales pan and dust this with fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then add the shredded apple, shredded green tomato, lime zest, poppy seeds and grated ginger. Stir so that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Make a valley in the center of the flour mixture and add the melted butter. Beat the egg yolks until light and frothy, add the butter milk, then pour this into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold this into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared Schales pan. Scatter poppy seeds over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fully risen and turning golden. Best when served at room temperature.
Hickory Nut Dasch, Oatmeal Datsch and Raisin Datsch
This recipe conforms very neatly to the traditional meaning of Datsch, because it starts out as cornmeal mush and then evolves into flat bread of a truly unique texture. If you prefer it a little sweeter, you can double the amount of sugar in the batter. However, the predominant flavor should be hickory nuts, one of the most popular native nuts in Pennsylvania Dutch cookery.
The white cornmeal that we used for this recipe was hand ground from Iroquois Tooth Corn (also called Gourd Seed Corn). This once-popular heirloom corn was widely planted in the Dutch Country throughout much of the nineteenth century. You can purchase seed for this rare variety online from the Roughwood Seed Collection (www.RoughwoodSeeds.org). If there is enough demand, one of the Collection’s farmers will grow enough for sale as cornmeal or make arrangements for special orders.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (300g) semolina
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ cup (65g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups (150g) finely chopped hickory nuts (oatmeal consistency)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (225g) cooked cornmeal mush (see Watch Point below)
4 tablespoons (65g) melted unsalted butter
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) sour cream or buttermilk
Topping:
Chopped hickory nuts
2 tablespoons (30g) sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a Schales pan and dust it with breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift the semolina, baking powder, sugar and salt into a deep work bowl. Add 1 cup (100g) of the hickory nuts, then add the lemon zest. Add the cooked mush and rub this into the dry ingredients to form moist crumbs. Make a valley in the center of the crumbs and add the melted butter. Beat the egg yolks until frothy and lemon colored, then add the sour cream. Stir this into the crumb mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks, and gently fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared Schales pan and scatter the remaining chopped nuts over the top. If you prefer a sweet topping, add 2 tablespoons (30g) of sugar to the nuts. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fully risen and set in the center. Cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature.
Watch Point: Commercial cornmeal and old-style mill-ground cornmeal vary greatly in their cooking times and textures. The cornmeal should be precooked according to proportions given on the package by pouring scalding milk over it, then simmering this over a medium heat. Whisk continuously for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cornmeal is smooth and fluffy and all the liquid has been cooked out. Set aside and cool to room temperature. Measure out 1 cup (225g) as directed.
This unusual Datsch has been adapted from a recipe of the late Mary Peachey, a member of the “Nebraska” Amish community in the Kishacoquillas Valley near Belleville, Pennsylvania. Mary’s recipe produces a dense, rich, moist flat cake that goes well with coffee or tea.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (250g) oat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (125g) sugar
1 cup (200g) mashed potatoes
1 cup (150g) uncooked steel-cut oatmeal
4 tablespoons (65g) melted butter
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
Topping:
2 tablespoons (25g) uncooked steel-cut oatmeal
2 tablespoons (30g) coarse sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seed (or more to taste)
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a Schales pan and dust this with fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then rub or cut in the mashed potatoes. Add the oatmeal. Make a valley in the center of the dry ingredients and add the melted butter. Beat the egg yolks until light and frothy, add the milk, then pour this into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold this into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared Schales pan. Make a topping by combining the oatmeal, the sugar and caraway seed; scatter this evenly over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until fully risen and set in the center. Best when hot from the oven or reheated in a microwave oven for 1 minute on high.
Jennie H. Ermentrout, or Miss Jennie to everyone who knew her, was one of the volunteer cooks during the 1920s at the Bethany Orphans’ Home in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. Her cooking was legendary, and she contributed a number of unusual dishes like this one to the orphan home’s menu in an attempt to brighten the lives of the children who lived there. Few people think of peanuts as integral to Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, and yet they were a common feature of farmhouse gardens well into the 1940s – as many informants have reminded me. They were even the iconic feature of a now rare 1890s collectible called Peanut Spoons, an eccentric Pennsylvania Dutch Victorianism created in silver by the Keller silversmith family of Allentown.
Peanuts were mostly grown for local consumption, and Datsch is one way they were used. I have prepared Miss Jennie’s Datsch with an heirloom variety of black peanut that is available from the Roughwood Seed Collection (www.RoughwoodSeeds.org). If you prefer the cake to be moister, add 1/2 cup (125ml) of sour cream to the milk. Also, as the late cookbook author Betty Herr Groff reminded me when I interviewed her several years ago, Peanut Datsch can be dressed up a bit by adding chocolate kisses, the same kind used for chocolate chip cookies.
Peanut Datsch
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (125g) sugar
1 cup (275g) raw, unsweetened peanut butter
½ cup (65g) chopped toasted peanuts
4 tablespoons (60ml) melted butter
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) whole milk or buttermilk
Topping:
4 tablespoons (25g) finely chopped toasted peanuts
2 tablespoons (30g) coarse sugar or crystal sugar
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a Schales pan and dust with fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the peanut butter with a pastry cutter or work to a fine, even crumb in a food processor. Put the crumb mixture in a large work bowl. Add the chopped peanuts. Make a valley in the center of the crumb mixture and add the melted butter. Beat the yolks until frothy and lemon colored, then add the milk, whisk smooth and add this to the melted butter. Using a paddle or wooden spoon, stir the mixture to create sticky dough. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks, and fold them into the batter. Pour this into the prepared Schales pan and pat smooth with the back of a wet spoon or paddle. Scatter the peanut and sugar mixture over the top. Using your fingers, pat or press down gently so that the top surface is smooth and the dough is evenly distributed against the edge of the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the Datsch tests done in the center. Serve at room temperature.
This dense, stick-to-the-ribs old-time winter recipe traces to Flora Whitner (1861-1929), wife of Pastor Elias Helwig Whitner, whose family hailed from Numidia, in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The only “spice” is sugar, so the cake also takes the place of dumplings when torn apart with forks while still hot. Whether hot or at room temperature, the Datsch was intended to be eaten with stewed apples, applesauce or apple butter – or even better, with very tart fruit like gooseberries or currants.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
1½ cups (375kg) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (185g) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (150g) mashed potatoes
4 ounces (125g) cold unsalted butter or lard
2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1½ cups (375ml) buttermilk
Grease a Shales pan and dust with breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then rub 1 cup (100g) of the mashed potatoes into the dry ingredients to form uniform loose crumbs. Put the crumbs in a food processor and add the butter chopped into small pieces. Process this until it forms crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a large work bowl and set aside 1 cup (150g) of crumbs.
Beat the egg yolks until lemon colored and frothy, then combine with the buttermilk. Add this to the crumb mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks, and fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread smooth.
Take the remaining ¼ cup (50g) of mashed potatoes and work this into the reserved crumbs to make large, sticky crumbs. Scatter the crumbs over the batter and bake in the preheated oven approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until set in the center and beginning to brown on top.
Our recipe has been adapted from an heirloom recipe belonging to Elizabeth C. Rahn (1849-1912), a member of the Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran church in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth called it Bethlehem Cake and made it rather large in size, about 16 inches (40cm) in diameter. We have cut the recipe in half so that it follows the same format as the other Datsch recipes in this chapter. While it is normal in the Dutch Country to think of raisin cakes or pies as specialties for old-time funerals, this particular refreshment was served during Christmas open-house entertaining in Bethlehem and Nazareth, where people flocked from house to house to see the famous Moravian Putz (manger scenes). Children visiting the Putz were also given strings of fish cookies, five to a loop, an old custom dating to the eighteenth century.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (125g) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 cup (200g) mashed potatoes
1 cup (125g) chopped raisins or whole Zante currants
½ cup (75g) coarsely chopped slivered almonds
2 teaspoons potato starch
4 tablespoon (65ml) melted butter
¼ cup (65ml) dark rum
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
Topping:
Sliced almonds
Grease a Schales pan and dust it with breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). In a large work bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Add the mashed potatoes and rub this to a fine crumb. Combine the raisins and almonds and dust with the potato starch. Add this to the flour mixture.
Make a valley in the center of the flour mixture and add the melted butter and rum. Stir to make a thin batter in the center. Beat the egg yolks until lemon colored and frothy, and combine with the buttermilk. Add this to the flour mixture and work into a stiff batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff and forming peaks, then fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly so that it touches all sides. Scatter sliced almonds over the top and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until full risen in the center. Mist with dark rum when the Datsch comes from the oven. Set aside on a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or wrap in cheesecloth dipped in dark rum and store in a tight container in a cool place for 2 weeks before serving.
St. Gertrude’s Day (March 17) was an unofficial day of celebration in the Dutch Country, because this day marked the beginning of the planting season, especially spring grains, potatoes, cabbage and onions. An old folk saying explained it like this:
Es fiert die Trudel die Kuh zum Graut,
die Biene zum Flug
un die Ferd zum Zug.
St. Gertrude leads cows to green fodder,
sends bees into spring flight,
and draught horses to their yokes.
It was also on this day that bears were said to awaken from their winter slumbers and walk about on two feet like humans. There is no doubt that St. Gertrude of Nivelles played an important role in the folk culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch, because throughout the German Rhineland – the Old World homeland of many Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors – she was venerated since the early Middle Ages as the patron saint of cats and kitchen gardens.
Even after many Rhineland Germans converted to Protestantism during the 1500s, they continued to recognize the beneficial influence of this ancient folk saint. Just as der Mordi (St. Martin) retained his age-old position on the fall calendar in connection with harvesting and butchering, so too did die Trudel keep watch over spring planting. Unfortunately for the Dutch, Irish immigrants brought St. Patrick to America in the nineteenth century, and he has more or less preempted our old traditional observance.
St. Gertrude’s Datsch is also the most archaic version of the traditional Datsch recipes in this collection, yet so wonderfully down to earth and flavorful that we decided it needed reinvention, or at least a new translation from hearth-style to modern kitchen. According to Ida Fry (1865-1960), from whom folklorist Alfred L. Shoemaker collected the recipe in 1955, this Datsch was originally baked in a spider, a three-legged iron skillet with a heavy, tight-fitting lid. Hot ashes went on top of the lid and underneath the pan, and it took a certain amount of cooking savvy to know just when the Datsch was finished. I have adjusted this baking technique to a cast-iron skillet, and the results are pretty much the same. Also, keep in mind that St. Gertrude’s day occurs during Lent, so the ingredients in her Datsch not only reflect the old rules of Lenten fasting (no dairy, no eggs), they also anticipate what is about to be planted: spring grains, potatoes, onions and various garden herbs.
If you really want to get into the spirit of St. Gertrude’s Day and observe this old-time folk tradition, then do not forget her connection to cats: a large batch of gingerbread cats will make your children happy – especially when used as rewards after undertaking a little spring cleanup in the garden. And to carry through on the theme of spring fertility (which is the underlying motif behind St. Gertrude), take small pieces of her bread and scatter them in the four corners of the garden (or a field waiting to be planted), this to please die Gleene Leit (the wee folk), the friendly fairies who live there, since they were thought to protect the garden from pestilence and disaster. Their “king” was the Waldmops, whom you met in the Introduction and makes more appearances here and there in this book.
St. Gertrude’s Datsch
Fine breadcrumbs for dusting
¼ ounce (7g) dry active yeast
1 cup (250ml) lukewarm potato water (98F/37C)
2 cups (250g) sifted barley flour
1 cup (125g) sifted bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground caraway
1 cup (200g) mashed potatoes
1 cup (125g) chopped spring onions or chives
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons whole fennel seed
2 teaspoons whole flax seed
¼ cup (65ml) honey
Proof the yeast in lukewarm water sweetened with a little sugar. While the yeast is proofing, sift together 1 cup (125g) of barley flour, the bread flour, salt, ground coriander and caraway. Work in the mashed potatoes to form a fine crumb, then add the chopped onions, poppy seeds, fennel and flax.
Once the yeast is proofed and foaming vigorously, add the honey and whisk until the honey is dissolved. Make a valley in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture. Stir to make a sticky batter, then cover and allow this to double in bulk in a warm place.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Grease a 10½-inch (ca. 26cm) iron skillet or frying pan and dust with breadcrumbs or cornmeal. Once the Datsch has doubled in bulk, knock down and knead in the remaining 1 cup (125g) of barley flour or enough so that the dough no longer adheres to the fingers. Put this in the skillet and spread out so that it completely fills the bottom. Cover and set aside to recover. Once the dough has risen (allow about 20 to 30 minutes), remove the cover and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the Datsch taps hollow in the center. Remove from the skillet and cool on a rack. Do not slice while hot; serve at room temperature.
Observation: When baking down hearth, as depicted on page 160, place a small bunch of spring onions on top of the dough before covering with the lid. The steam from the onions will create a delicious onion-flavored glaze on the top surface of the Datsch. This can be replicated in an oven if the skillet in which the Datsch is baked is covered with a heavy iron lid.
St. Gertrude’s Datsch is mentioned in the Pennsylvania Dutch folk saying below, as dictated from memory many years ago by Amanda Baer Stoudt (1867-1942), grandmother of Pennsylvania Dutch folklorist John Joseph Stoudt (1912-1981).
Ebbes Griene, Ebbes Schwaatze
Ebbes Weisse fer ihre Katze.
Backt man Datsch am Trudisdaag
Streu die Grimmle wo sie mag,
Fun Eck zu Eck am Gorderand,
So wachse Dei Kreider uff das Land.
A little something green, a little something black,
A little something white for her cat.
Bake a Datsch on St. Gertrude’s Day
Scatter the crumbs where she directs,
From corner to corner along the garden’s edge
So that your plants will thrive upon the land.
Maple Sugar Shoofly Pie
