For many of us, baking powder biscuits are simply an edible out of “Gone With the Wind,” or worse, a fearsome stodgy thing churned out of a tube.
In the past, biscuits often were relegated to the low end of the pastry kingdom. Their poor reputation is no doubt due to mishandling by uncaring cooks, or more likely due to the commercial versions of biscuits-heavy, dense mounds, devoid of the unique appeal of biscuits made right.
How could Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme ever claim that “a good biscuit could rival a croissant?”
As Prudhomme knows, treated with solicitude and a little baking skill, biscuits can transform Saturday breakfast into a weekend treat, or Sunday dinner into an occasion.
The basic recipes for baking powder biscuits have evolved, accommodating changing food tastes as well as renewed interest in basic breads. Restaurants and home cooks are turning to biscuits as a quick, homey addition to the menu, a comfort food that recalls the past.
Although we think of biscuits as the quintessential American food, British scones are the obvious prototype. In America’s pioneer days, baking powder biscuits showed up at just about every meal. Because yeast wasn’t easy to obtain or consistent in behavior, the advent of reliable baking powder in the mid-1850s gave home cooks a dependable leavening agent with which to make these feathery breads (see article on page 4).
“Double acting” powder meant some leavening occurred in the mixing bowl and the rest took place in the oven. A baker with a light touch and a hot oven could speedily fashion mountains of puffy, fragrant biscuits.
A notable specialty appears in the South, prime biscuit territory: the “beaten biscuit,” or Maryland biscuit, a cross between a soda cracker and a baking powder biscuit. It’s made by beating the dough with a hammer or mallet or by putting it through a “biscuit brake.” The resulting bread is firmer and chewier than a regular biscuit.
The classic buttermilk biscuit remains queen of the realm, but today the potential variations on this small, speedy breadstuff are unlimited. Sweet or savory, biscuits can host a whole slew of additions (see accompanying story).
So next time you have 20 minutes to spare, try on the thought of a hot buttermilk biscuit fresh from the oven.
CLASSIC GOLDEN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes
Yield: About 1 dozen
Pioneer cooks relied on fresh buttermilk for extra-light biscuits. Try substituting plain yogurt as a variation or using buttermilk powder. If you’re planning to use the dough for classic shortcake, reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon and increase sugar to 2 tablespoons.
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each: baking soda, sugar, salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Milk or melted butter for biscuit tops
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Have lightly greased baking sheet ready.
2. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in shortening and butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is coarse and grainy. Sprinkle buttermilk over mixture and stir lightly with a fork to blend.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead 8 to 10 times, just until you are able to roll out mixture.
4. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch discs with a floured biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Brush tops with milk or butter. Bake on prepared sheet, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
Note: Powdered buttermilk, such as the Saco brand, is nationally available and keeps indefinitely on the shelf. Use 3/4 tablespoon buttermilk powder and add it to the dry ingredients; then replace liquid buttermilk with 2/3 to 3/4 cup water when liquid is called for.
SWEET POTATO AND SPICE BISCUITS
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes
Yield: About 1 dozen
Serve a basket of these at your next turkey dinner, or as a dessert, with homemade applesauce or vanilla custard. Make miniature biscuit sandwiches by splitting biscuits, smearing with Dijon mustard and filling with a few slices of smoked turkey or Black Forest ham.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon each: baking powder, brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch each, ground: cinnamon, nutmeg
1/4 cup each: unsalted butter, vegetable shortening
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, optional
1/2 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
2/3 cup mashed cooked sweet potato, about 1 medium
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Have 2 greased baking sheets ready.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped pecans. Stir milk into mashed sweet potatoes and then stir into dry flour mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Knead very briefly on a lightly floured board. Pat dough out to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds using a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Put onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
MELTED CHEDDAR-GLAZED BISCUITS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes
Yield: 12 to 15 biscuits
Serve these with homemade chili or scrambled eggs.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely shredded sharp orange Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3- 3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp orange Cheddar to sprinkle on top
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the shredded cheese in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk and mix lightly until ingredients are evenly moistened.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 10 times, until dough is just smooth. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out 2-inch discs using a floured biscuit cutter or cookie cutter.
4. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Then cover biscuit tops with remaining shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese is completely melted and biscuits are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm.
SHERRY CURRANT TEA BISCUITS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes
Yield: About 20 tea-size biscuits
Buttery morsels of sherry-flavored biscuit dough, these are best served hot with churned honey or sweet orange whipped butter and a pot of Earl Grey tea.
2 cups pastry flour
1 tablespoon each: baking powder, sugar
2 teaspoons finely minced orange rind (colored part only)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup plumped, well-drained currants
2/3 cup (scant) dry sherry or Madeira
Melted butter, coarse sugar for tops
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Have lightly greased baking sheets ready.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, orange rind, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Toss currants in this mixture and then stir in sherry until dough clumps together.
3. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Pat out to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheets. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle on coarse sugar. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Dress up your biscuits
To vary your biscuit baking, try the following optional ingredients in small quantities (a few tablespoons up to 1/2 cup, lightly packed).
Savory biscuits: Minced fresh herbs, sun-dried tomato bits, grated Parmesan, blue cheese, Romano cheese, bacon bits, minced pepperoni, Calabrese sausage, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, minced green onions, minced onions, minced black olives. Paint unbaked biscuit tops with melted butter, sprinkle on some durum wheat semolina and coarse salt, or try Italian spices.
Sweet biscuits: Minced dried apricots or prunes; candied fruit; spices such as cinnamon, allspice, mace, lemon, orange or lime rind; ground toasted nuts; vanilla extract (1 teaspoon); miniature chocolate chips; dried cranberries; sour cherries.
Biscuit-making tips
As in pie-making, cold shortening and cold liquid ingredients will render the best texture.
Biscuits can be started in a food processor. Put the ingredients in the work bowl fitted with a metal blade and process with on/off pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal; then transfer the mixture to a bowl and proceed with the recipe.
Always retain some of the liquid, rather than dump it all in at once. Depending on the humidity and the ingredients, you may need less rather than more liquid. Once the grains are moistened, stir the dough with your hand in the bowl into a shaggy mass.
During cutting, do not twist as you remove the cookie cutter, as this tends to “lock” the flaky layers together or can cause the biscuit to topple sideways during baking.
Biscuits are best hot. If they do get cold, brush the tops with melted butter, wrap loosely in foil and heat at 350 degrees until hot. Or, wrap each one in a piece of paper towel and heat in a microwave oven 25 to 30 seconds on full power. Frozen biscuits get the same treatment.
A note on flour: White Lily Flour, both the regular and self-rising kinds, makes exceptional biscuits. The recipe on the back of the bag is a winner. If you can’t find White Lily, a mix of three parts all-purpose and one part pastry flour will approximate a Southern all-purpose flour. Write to White Lily Flour, Box 871, Knoxville, Tenn. 37901, for information and product availability.
