The name "biscuit" is from the French, and means "twice baked." It was originally applied to a kind of hard, thin bread, made in that manner to deprive it of all moisture and insure its remaining in good condition for a long time. It was something like our crackers and ship bread But in America it means any kind of bread made into small, round cakes and intended to be eaten hot or fresh. Raised biscuit may be made from any of the doughs made by the receipts for bread; the proportions are enough for one pan of bread, and one pan of biscuit containing twelve or sixteen according to the size. They should always be made small, and shaped with the fingers, not cut with a cutter. Divide the portion of dough reserved for biscuit into halves, then into quarters, and each quarter into thirds or quarters. To shape a biscuit, take one of these quarters in the left hand and rest it lightly on the board. With the right thumb and forefinger draw a point of the dough up and over to the centre, and hold it down with the left thumb. Give the dough a slight turn toward the left, and repeat the drawing up and folding over until you have been all round the ball. You may roll them in the hands until all these foldings have disappeared and they are smooth and round, and call them simply biscuit; or you may make the folds as distinct as possible, and place them at once in the pan. The folds will spread apart in rising, and when baked they can be peeled off in layers. They are then honored with the name of Imperial Rolls. Put the biscuit in a shallow round pan, fitting them closely, that they may rise up, round and puffy, instead of spreading. When very light, bake in a very hot oven fifteen or twenty minutes. Keep them wrapped in a bread cloth for at least half an hour before serving. The receipts for Milk Bread are especially nice for biscuit.