Thank you, eliza.
When I say retro I mean retro. The recipe I hope to try is from an old cookbook, a hand-me-down from a coworker. It has no publication or copyright date that I can find, but I'll bet you a gelatin salad it's from the 50's.
When I accepted the book I accepted the challenge of finding something appetizing in it.
My guess is that at the time you could buy seasoned flour in the supèmarket, or that every housewife knew how to make it.