FROM-SCRATCH BISCUITS
During the holidays, many of us have out-of-town guests.
As a special breakfast treat, make a batch of biscuits and pour on the gravy. You can start the diet next week.
So many of us eat fast-food biscuits so often, we've forgotten what a from-scratch biscuit tastes like. When made the right way, it can jump-start the day better than a slug of coffee.
But first remind yourself that no matter how accomplished you are as a cook, there are tricks to making good biscuits.
Here are tips from White Lily Flour and King Arthur Flour:
• For light baking biscuits, start with 100 percent pure soft wheat flour. Self-rising flour is recommended for best results. One cup of plain all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt may be substituted for one cup self-rising flour.
• Accurately measure ingredients. Flour is measured by spooning into a measuring cup and leveling off with a straight edge. Sifting is not needed.
• Vegetable shortening should be packed into a measuring cup so there are no air pockets. Then it is "cut" into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, two knives or a fork. The result should be pieces the size of coarse crumbs.
• Mixing the liquid ingredients into the dry ones can be done effectively with a fork. First make a well in the center of the flour. Using a fork to gently blend in the milk or buttermilk lessens the chance of overmixing.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth or other surface. Knead gently only until dough holds together and can be rolled out – about 10 to 12 strokes or less. Do not add too much additional flour when kneading and rolling.
• Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness to ensure a biscuit with good height. Cut biscuits with a sharp-edged cutter. Cut straight down without twisting cutter to ensure tall, straight biscuits.
• For crusty edges, place on a baking sheet 1-inch apart. For soft sides, the biscuits should be almost touching.
Biscuits
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/4 cup cold shortening
• 1/2 cup milk, cream or half-and-half
• 1 egg
Note: You can use any kind of milk, from skim to whipping cream. The richer the milk, the richer and more tender your biscuit will be.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Cut the butter into pats, and work the butter and shortening into the flour, using a pastry blender, mixer (you can also use a food processor, up to this point), or your fingers. When thoroughly combined, the mixture should resemble uneven, coarse crumbs; don't keep working it until it's perfectly homogeneous. The point is to work the cold fat into the dry ingredients fairly evenly, but so that it still retains its integrity; you don't want the fat to become one with the flour. The uneven, tender texture of biscuits comes from pockets of cold fat in the dough, which in the baking process don't melt until after the dough is set, leaving butter-catching fissures in the baked biscuit.
Measure the milk or cream into a liquid measuring cup, add the egg, and whisk till smooth. Add this to the flour/fat mixture, and stir just to combine; as soon as you no longer see areas that are very obviously wetter than other areas, stop mixing and dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it a couple of times to bring it together, if necessary; remember, every time you push, pat or shape the dough from now on, you're toughening the gluten, and therefore the biscuit, so try to handle it as little as possible. With the help of a dough scraper, shape the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square, about 3/4-inch thick. Run a rolling pin over the top once to even it out. Wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap it and set it on a work surface. It will be very stiff, but still soft enough to cut with a sharp knife, sharpened dough scraper or rolling cutter (pizza cutter). Cut the dough into nine 2-inch squares, and place the squares on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to cut out the biscuits with something sharp; if you use a dull knife, you compress the biscuits' edges, and they won't rise as high.
Bake the biscuits in a preheated 400-degree oven for 16 minutes, or until they're a light, golden brown. Remove them from the oven and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes 9 fairly large biscuits.
