baking powder biscuits

Mmmm, biscuits… biscuits were one of my first posts, but I decided they needed a re-do, since there were no step by step pics. And, I am pretty sure the earlier post contained a photo that was taken with my point and shoot, and it also contains *cough* my “watermark”, aka the date stamp on the photo. (eek!)

Sometimes it’s fun to see the old posts, other times… I debate deleting them. But, I don’t. It’s fun to see the change….even though I cringe. 🙂

Now: a few words on biscuits.

1) check the date on your baking powder

2) don’t knead the dough too much

3) don’t twist your cutter into the dough, push in and pull up

4) a brushing of melted butter before they go into the oven=bliss

Let’s get started. Yes you need shortening, and yes the do make shortening without the trans-fats…. so you can rest a little easier.

In the bowl, there is flour that has been shifted with salt and baking soda, and cream of tartar.

I mixed mine with a pastry blender, you can use anything, though. Fingers work great- but I was taking pictures….so that’s my excuse for making more dishes to wash.

after you add the milk, just mix it enough to make a ball.

Oooo, let’s go retro with the dough. If it wasn’t for the granite, you’d never know this was a blob of 2011 dough. Haha, I said “blob”.

I made small biscuits. 1 inchers. Usually I make the typical big American ones… but, we were having a big meal- so little biscuits it was.

Two ways to bake: close together like the pic above, or spaced apart on a cookie sheet. Close together=soft spaced apart=crusty

Got it? Man, there’s a lot of stuff to remember for something so simple.

Recipe: baking powder biscuits

Ingredients

4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
8 tsp baking powder (make sure it’s fresh-date on bottom of can)
1 tsp cream of tartar (don’t omit)
2 tbs sugar
1 cup veg. shortening
1 cup milk

Instructions

Combine all the DRY ingredients into a bowl, cut the shortening into the flour with two knives or a pastry blender, or your fingers until coarse crumbs are formed.
Add the milk and stir JUST UNTIL the mixture forms a ball.
Place in fridge 20min.
Preheat oven 425.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it ONLY a few times.
Pat out 1″ thick.( thick is the key here)
Cut with a 1 or 2″ biscuit cutter.
Place on cookie sheet (I put parchment on mine) 1″ apart, for crusty biscuits Or, place touching in a cake pan, for soft biscuits
BRUSH THE TOPS WITH LOTS OF MELTED BUTTER! (yum)
Bake 15-20 min. Keep an eye on em though…sometimes mine bake quick. ENJOY!
yields 24 large or 36 small biscuits

Microformatting by hRecipe.

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