Sunday 29 December 2013

Biscuits - the final frontier

Biscuits are my nemesis.

They've eluded me for more years than I dare to count, they've taunted me with their doughy softness and flaunted their delicious smell in bakeries for what feels like eons.

Biscuits of Glory
Today was my day of reckoning.
Today I make a decent biscuit.

This recipe is solely for my own personal reference it worked for me and I will never, ever deviate. Well, thats wholly untrue, but for the time being I'll stick to it religiously until I feel brave.

Ingredients:

1 c all purpose flour
1 c bread flour (makes a crispy top and bottom)
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 TBSP butter
1 c buttermilk + a little more if the dough needs it
1/3 c shredded cheese
  • Pre heat oven to 450 degrees, lay a sheet of baking paper on a baking sheet
  • Measure flours, salt, BP, BS & sugar into a bowl & whisk throughly 
  • add shredded cheese and stir to coat with flour
  • mash that butter in well - get your hands right in there and make a mess 
  • Fold in the buttermilk, the dough may be a little dry, dribble in a little extra buttermilk to make a ball of all the dry ingredients. 
  • on a floured surface kneed the dough only briefly enough to make it a dough mass 
  • flatten into a disk, thickness depends on how large you want your biscuits - i went with a solid inch of dough
  • cut out rounds of biscuit with a cup or cookie cutter, no twisting allowed - just press down firmly. OR cut the whole mess into squares, this ensures you don't need to handle the dough too much.
  • place the doughy disks on the baking 
  • bake for between 10 - 13 mins - watch carefully as they bake very quickly. 
  • when them come out of the oven, do a dance of thanks and joy to the doughy god of biscuits for granting you a delicious bready treat.
  • hi-5 ever person within shouting distance of your kitchen - as they'll automatically become your new BFF's when the see the inherent deliciousness.