Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (259 page)
1.
To release water from shredded potatoes, place them in clean kitchen towel and, using 2 hands, twist towel tightly.
2.
Before serving, fold hash brown cake over, omelet style, using spatula. Transfer to cutting board and cut into wedges.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We were after a biscuit recipe that would be simpler than the traditional versions that require cutting butter or shortening into flour, rolling out dough, and stamping biscuits. Cream biscuits, which rely on plain heavy cream in lieu of butter or shortening, were our answer to easy-to-make light and tender biscuits. While most biscuit dough should be handled lightly, we found this dough benefited from 30 seconds of kneading. Although it was easy enough to quickly shape the dough with our hands then stamp out rounds, alternatively we found we could shape the dough using an 8-inch cake pan, then turn the dough out onto the counter and cut it into wedges. Popping the shaped biscuits into the oven immediately kept them from spreading.
See “SHAPING CREAM BISCUITS” illustrations that follow recipe.
MAKES 8 BISCUITS
These biscuits come together in a flash and require no special equipment.
2 | cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
2 | teaspoons baking powder |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
1¹⁄ | cups heavy cream |
1.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Stir in cream with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and gather into ball. Knead dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.
3.
Shape dough into ³⁄
4
-inch-thick circle. Cut dough into rounds with 2¹⁄
2
-inch biscuit cutter or cut into wedges. Place rounds or wedges on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Serve.
Stir 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ¹⁄
4
-inch pieces, into flour along with sugar, baking powder, and salt. Increase baking time to 18 minutes.
Add 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger to flour along with sugar, baking powder, and salt. Before baking, brush tops of biscuits with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Any herb or combination of herbs will work here.
Whisk 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs into flour along with sugar, baking powder, and salt.
FOR ROUNDS
1.
Pat dough on lightly floured counter into ³⁄
4
-inch-thick circle.
2.
Punch out dough rounds with floured 2¹⁄
2
-inch biscuit cutter. Repeat patting and punching dough rounds for a total of 8 biscuits.
FOR WEDGES
1.
Press dough into 8-inch cake pan, then turn dough out onto lightly floured counter.
2.
Using bench scraper or sharp knife, cut dough into 8 wedges.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We wanted a fuss-free buttermilk drop biscuit with a crisp, golden brown top and fluffy, tangy crumb. Biscuits made with lard or shortening were bland compared with the rich flavor of all-butter biscuits. A few more tests showed that the best way to add the butter to the dough was to combine it—chilled—with the dry ingredients in a food processor. Five minutes in the oven at 500 degrees followed by 15 minutes at 450 degrees maximized the rise from the steam. For even more rise, we used both baking soda and a hefty amount of baking powder. To shape the biscuits, we dropped scoops of the wet dough onto a baking sheet, then dusted each with flour and shaped it into a round, then arranged them all together in a 9-inch nonstick cake pan. Once all of the biscuits were packed into the pan, we brushed the tops with melted butter before baking.
MAKES 12 BISCUITS
We prefer to use low-fat buttermilk in these biscuits, but nonfat buttermilk will work as well (though the biscuits will be a little lighter in texture and flavor).
3 | cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour |
1 | tablespoon sugar |
1 | tablespoon baking powder |
¹⁄ | teaspoon baking soda |
1 | teaspoon salt |
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¹⁄ |
1¹⁄ | cups buttermilk, chilled |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spread 1 cup flour in rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
2.
Pulse remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor until combined, about 6 pulses. Scatter chilled butter evenly over dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles pebbly, coarse cornmeal, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add buttermilk to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated (dough will be very wet and slightly lumpy).
3.
Using greased ¹⁄
4
-cup dry measure and working quickly, scoop level amount of batter and drop into flour on baking sheet (if dough sticks to cup, use small spoon to pull it free). Repeat with remaining batter, forming 12 evenly sized mounds. Dust top of each piece of dough with flour from baking sheet. With floured hands, gently pick up each piece of dough, coat with flour, and gently shape into rough ball; shake off excess flour and place in prepared cake pan. Repeat with remaining dough, arranging 9 rounds around perimeter of cake pan and 3 in center. Brush rounds with warm melted butter, taking care not to flatten them.
4.
Transfer pan to oven and bake biscuits for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees and continue to bake until biscuits are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool in pan 2 minutes, then invert biscuits from pan onto clean kitchen towel; turn biscuits right side up and break apart. Let cool for 5 minutes longer and serve.