Pie and Pastry Bible (99 page)

If the flour is measured instead of weighed, you may need to adjust the texture of the dough by adding a little more flour or a little more liquid.

Do not use self-rising flour for shaping the biscuits, as the leavening it contains will give a bitter taste to the outside of the biscuits.

UNDERSTANDING

These biscuits must be baked in a pan for support because their high moisture content would otherwise cause them to lose their shape before they set.

The oven temperature can be higher than for biscuits made with butter because vegetable shortening doesn’t brown as fast as butter.

Sprinkling the biscuits with water before reheating them results in a crisp top and softer inside.

BUTTER BISCUITS

T
hese biscuits have the most extraordinary golden color, velvety texture, and haunting flavor. The ingredients responsible are butter and hard-boiled egg yolk. These are the biscuits I use for strawberry shortcake.

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 375°F., THEN 400°F. • BAKING TIME: 15 TO 20 MINUTES INTERNAL TEMPERATURE: 200°F. MAKES: NINE 2½- BY 1½-INCH-HIGH BISCUITS
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
	VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*Or White Lily regular flour (or 1 cups bleached all-purpose plus cup cake flour) plus 1 tablespoon baking powder and ¾ teaspoon salt.
2 large eggs	3 fluid ounces	4 ounces 113 grams (weighed in the shells)
White Lily self-rising flour*	2 cups (dip and sweep method)	10 ounces	284 grams
sugar	3 tablespoons	1.3 ounces	37.5 grams
unsalted butter, cut into small bits and chilled	6 tablespoons	3 ounces	85 grams
heavy cream or buttermilk (or a combination of the two)	¾ liquid cup	6 ounces 6.3 ounces	174 grams 182 grams
Optional Topping melted butter, cooled	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	14 grams
sugar	approx. 1 teaspoon	•	•

EQUIPMENT

A 2½-inch scalloped round cutter and a cookie sheet or inverted half-size sheet pan, lined with parchment
^*

Preheat the oven to 375°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the middle level and place a bread pan half filled with very hot water on it before preheating.

In a small nonreactive saucepan with a tight-fitting cover, place the eggs and add enough cold water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, cover tightly, and remove the pan from the heat. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes. Drain the eggs and run under cold water. Allow them to cool completely before peeling.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar (and baking powder and salt if not using self-rising flour). Add the butter and, with your fingertips, work the bits into small pieces resembling coarse meal. (Or use an electric mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the flour mixture.)

Press the egg yolks through a fine strainer onto the flour mixture and whisk to distribute them evenly. (Reserve the whites for another use.) Mix in the cream and/or buttermilk just until the flour is moistened, the dough starts to come together, and you can form it into a ball.

Empty the dough onto a counter lightly dusted with all-purpose flour and knead it a few times until it develops a little elasticity and feels smooth. Dust the dough lightly with more all-purpose flour if it is a little sticky, and pat or roll it ¾ inch thick.

Dip the cutter into all-purpose flour before each cut and cut cleanly through the dough, lifting out the cutter without twisting it so that the edges will be open for the maximum rise. For soft sides, place the biscuits almost touching (about ¼ inch apart) on the cookie sheet. For crisp sides, place the biscuits 1 inch apart. Knead the dough scraps again, pat or roll out, and cut out more biscuits. Brush off any excess flour from the biscuits. If a crisp top is desired, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Place the biscuits in the oven, raise the temperature to 400°F., and bake for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375°F. and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden. Split the biscuits in half, preferably using a three-tined fork.

VARIATION

GINGER BUTTER BISCUITS
These are great for peach shortcake. Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped crystallized ginger (1 ounce/28 grams) to the flour mixture and 1 tablespoon (
ounces/17 grams) of grated fresh ginger along with the liquid.

STORE

Room temperature, airtight, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months. To reheat frozen biscuits, sprinkle with water and bake in a preheated 300°F. oven for 15 minutes. A cake tester inserted in the center and removed will feel warm and the outside of the biscuits will be crunchy.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

If the flour is measured instead of weighed, you may need to adjust the texture of the dough by adding a little more flour or a little more liquid.

Be sure to knead the dough to develop the gluten, or the biscuits will not have the strength to rise.

Do not use self-rising flour for kneading the dough or shaping the biscuits, as the leavening it contains will give a bitter taste to the outside of the biscuits.