The CWI Cookbook

 1 qt. sour or buttermilk
2 level tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Flour to make a tolerably thick batter

Stir until smooth–no longer–and bake immediately.

Common Sense in the Household by Marion Harland, New York, 1871

Comment: Yup, once again we have a “recipe” that consists almost entirely of a list of ingredients. It was assumed that the cook knew what a “tolerably thick batter” consisted of, and that the baking was to be done on something resembling a cookie sheet, not a breadpan. These are essentially pancakes baked “sunny side up,” without flipping to cook the top side.

The full name of this in Mrs. Harland’s book is “Auntie’s Cakes (without eggs)” and consisted of the direction which amounted to “Omit eggs from previous recipe and cook as directed.” Since recipes do not appear here in the same sequence as they do in a physical book, some additions and modifications sometimes have to be made.

These will taste a bit flat, and boring to those accustomed to pancakes made with eggs, but we include it for those who cannot or do not eat eggs for whatever reason.