Baking Powder Biscuits 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tsp D.A. baking powder or 3 3/4 tsp tartrate or phosphate 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup shortening 7/8 cup milk (1 cup less 2 tbsp) Memorize the following steps to make delicate biscuits Step 1. Measure all ingredients accurately. Never skimp on shortening as it is essential for tenderness. Start oven 10 min before baking; set to hot (450° F to 500° F). Step 2. Sift flour, measure, resift 3 times with dry ingredients, the last time into a 3-qt mixing bowl. Three siftings prevent yellow specks on crust caused by incomplete blending of baking powder. Step 3. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until particles are size of rice. Step 4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour milk in all at once. Stir quickly and vigorously with a dinner fork. (Fork mixes more lightly than a spoon.) When dry ingredients are almost dampened, if dough seems a little stiff, quickly add another tbsp or so of milk to obtain a soft dough. The dough appears sticky the instant enough liquid is thoroughly stirred into dry ingredients but it soon stiffens up. Unless dough is soft at the end of mixing, biscuits will not be delicate. Step 5. Turn dough out immediately onto a lightly floured pastry cloth, dough board or table. An amateur can knead, roll and cut out the soft dough more easily on a pastry cloth than on a board. Step 6. Knead quickly 6 or 8 times, then pat out lightly with floured palm of hand or roll out 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. Step 7. Cut out biscuits to get as many as possible from the first-rolled dough, then place them on a greased, shallow baking pan. For biscuits crusty-all-around, place them an inch apart on the pan; for biscuits with only tops and bottoms crusty, place them almost together on pan. Lay trimmings on top of each other without kneading, and again pat out with hand to same thickness, then cut out. Lightly press remaining trimmings into biscuit-shape and place on baking pan. Step 8. For a richer color and more tender crust, brush tops of biscuits (use pastry brush) with cream or melted butter. If biscuits must stand a few minutes before baking, put in a cool place. Step 9. Place biscuits in a heated oven. Bake 12 to 15 min. Plan your meal so that you will be ready to serve biscuits the instant they come from the oven. Only blistering hot biscuits are worth serving. Step 10. Dont wrap biscuits in a napkin to serve. The napkin holds in the steam which softens the crisp crust you have striven to achieve. Serve on a hot plate, uncovered, or directly from the baking pan. Loosen oven-hot biscuits from pan; you will find most guests delighted to help themselves to the hot biscuits right from the pan. 12 to 15 two-inch biscuits. Reheating Biscuits: To successfully reheat biscuits, place on baking pan close together. Sprinkle lightly with water. Place in a moderately hot oven (425° F) and bake 10 to 12 min, or until crusty and piping hot all the way through. Note: To save in cleaning up after biscuits, turn dough onto lightly floured waxed paper. Pat dough out and cut as above. Discard waxed paper. Biscuit dough can be cut in various shapes and used to top meat pies, casserole dishes, etc. Source(s): Meta Givens Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, Revised Edition, Volume one, Pages 234-235
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:28:13 +0000
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