Baking Biscuits!

[kevin313]

Please keep in mind I'm from the midwest, but we baked up a batch of biscuits this past weekend that were gone before they got a chance to cool down!

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Recipe and more at link:

http://cavalcadeoffood.blogspot.com/2011/09/biscuit-baking-for-moderns.html

 

[mattl]

Looks good!

 

I was wondering when we were going to get your next recipe, it's been a while...

 

[norgeway]

Hmmmmm..

Never thought about making biscuits with butter?? I bet they are good, I use self rising flour crisco and buttermilk, except when I want them extra special, then I use real lard!!

 

[vacbear58]

Two nations divided by one language

For those of us in the UK (and possibly Europe and Australia) these are SCONES!

For us biscuits are (generally) thin and crisp, but oh yes, you call them cookies.

Only teasing really

Al

 

[whirlcool]

But I always thought of scones as being hard all the way through rather than soft & fluffy on the inside.

 

[vacbear58]

Nope

Scones should be soft and fluffy on the inside if they are done right. To be honest I cannot imagine anything like this being palatable if it was hard all teh way through

Al

 

[Unimatic1140]

For what ever reason, scones in the US are mostly semi-hard throughout the entire pastry.

I love making American style biscuits from scratch and I too only use butter for shortening. Biscuit dough is very easy to handle, certainly easier than pie crust dough. After I roll and shape the biscuits, I brush them lightly with melted butter and bake them on air-bake pans. They are so light and flaky and so buttery you really don't need to add any more butter.

 

[ronhic]

The key difference....

...between the two would appear to be the type and amount of shortening used.

 

From what I can see, British and Australian scones use between 1/2-2/3 the amount of shortening for a given measure of flour compared to American Biscuits AND this shortening is generally butter.

 

If you can't be bothered with trying to rub in butter or have 'hot hands', as I do, then this works brilliantly.

 

4 cups of self raising flour (or equiv. plain and baking powder)

300ml cream

250ml/cup lemonade (not 'real' lemonade - sprite or schweppes is what you're after and not diet). You may need a little more depending on climate and flour

1 tsp salt

 

- Double sift the dry....add the liquid and quickly, but lightly mix with a blunt knife.

- knead very lightly on a floured surface (no more than 15-30 seconds...you just want it to 'come together')

- press out until about 1 inch thick

- using a cutter dipped in flour punch out scones

- place on a flour dusted oven slide close to each other

- brush with milk or leftover cream (why wash it down the sink?)

- bake at 400-450F/200-225C for about 15-20min

 

The more you handle scone dough, the tougher they will be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gizmo]

clarification - from ronhic's post above - "lemonade" in Australia is what Americans call 7up or Sprite.

 

[hunter]

American scones may be hard...

...because the dough is over-handled.

I've made them at home, to a UK recipe (Delia Smith's) many times and they have been quite similar to American biscuits.

However some thoughts:

1. In the northern USA, our flour is harder so develops gluten easier.
2. Most folks don't understand 'light touch' on things like (American) biscuits and scones.
3. Commercially, isn't everything done using a hand mixer?

Just some thoughts...

 

[norgeway]

I found !!!!

A great new biscuit recipe, you wont believe it, 2 ingredients!!
Mix together..
2 cups self rising flour
1 cup of whipping cream
roll cut bake, may need a little more cream if dough is too dry, but this dough is stiffer than most, they bake up light as air and wonderful!!