A - BISCUITS ARE EASY to make if a few rules are followed.
Choose the right flour. Sift and measure carefully.
Decide the thickness of biscuit you like. Bake at 450 degrees, no less. The top should be crusty and brown, the center done but not dry, DO NOT OVERBAKE.
B - FLOUR:
Soft wheat flour, (pastry flour, not cake flour), makes the type biscuit for which the southern woman is famous. You can knead this dough all you please. All-purpose flour makes the northern type biscuit, a good biscuit, but different. You can knead this dough only slightly. A combination of 1/3 cake flour and 2/3 all purpose flour almost attains the soft wheat flour biscuit. You can knead this dough quite a little. All cake flour makes a still different biscuit.
C - LIQUID:
If buttermilk is used, you will need about 2 tbs. more than sweet milk. Also, add 1/3 tsp soda to the baking powder called for in the recipe, using BOTH baking powder and soda. A biscuit that is round on top has too much liquid. However, not enough liquid makes a very uninteresting flake. If you will drop an egg yolk or half an egg into the measuring cup and fill to the desired mark with sweet or buttermilk, you will have a much more tender flake.
RECIPE:
Sift together 2 cups sifted and measured flour with 4 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Using blender, cut into this 5 tbs. fat. Still using blender add 2/3 cup sweet milk. (For buttermilk, see paragraph C.) Turn onto well-floured canvas, on which a very small amount of loose flour has been left. Knead as instructed in paragraph B.)
Grease pan, leaving small amount of melted fat in bottom. (I like butter best, who wouldn't?) Cut biscuit, lay in pan. Turn over in melted fat. This gives a crispy top. Bake at center of 450 degree oven, no less. The time will depend upon the thickness of the biscuit. Serve immediately.
SHORTCAKE
Use above biscuit recipe adding 2 tbs. sugar to the dry ingredients. Use the egg and milk for liquid. (See paragraph C.) Cut and bake as directed for biscuit. Or, if you like, use 1-cup liquid and turn this soft dough into a greased pan. Bake at 450 degrees. Then split the baked cake, butter will and use as desired.
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