Cookaholics Bulletin Board

but I need THE biscuit recipe. Can't believe I didn't copy it from the other board but was not at all surprised that the sucky search engine doesn't work.

Mary

Don't kill me Crystal...


8 tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
3 tbsp veg shortening, frozen
3 cups bleached ap flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold milk, plus extra for moistening and brushing (I had to use a little more)

1. Grate abut 1/3 of butter onto a paper towel, then sprinkle shreds w/a big pinch of flour; toss to coat to prevent sticking. Transfer to a small bowl. Repeat process twice more, then place bowl in freezer.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt w/a rubber spatula in med bowl. Cut shortening into dry ingred. w/ a pastry cutter, or two forks, until it looks like coarse meal. Add 1/2 heaping cup of frozen grated butter; toss to coat, and then cut butter into flour 4-5 times to blend. Return remaining butter to freezer.

3. Stir in milk w/a rubber spat. Once dough starts to clump, bring it into a coherent ball with your hands, pressing it into bottom of bowl to pick up scraps. If dough doesn't come together, sprink in a little more milk, and continue pressing on scraps until they incorporate.

4. On a lightly floured surface, press dough into a rough square, then roll out into a 10 1/2" x 6 " rectangle, about 3/4 in thick. Sprinkle 1/3 of remaining grated butter over half of dough and brush edges with milk. Fold double , and roll out again as before. Repeat, sprinkling with 1/3 of butter, brushing border w/milk, folding in half, and pinching seam. Return remaining butter to freezer. Place folded dough square on a baking sheet (I wrapped mine in plastic) and freeze for about ten minutes to firm up and let gluten relax.

5. Roll dough out again as before, sprinkle w/remaining butter, and fold in half for a third time. Roll out dough a final time to a 10 1/2 x 6" rectangle. Freeze again for 10-15 min to firm and relax gluten.

6. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450. Use a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter to cut dough into 8 rounds and place about 1" apart on baking sheet. Pinch scraps and cut 3-4 more rounds. Bake until golden brown 13-15 min.

Copyright by Pam Anderson CookSmart

You can use the advanced settings on google to search TOBB. add site:www.cooksillustrated.com/ibb to the search query,
as in biscuit recipe site:www.cooksillustrated.com/ibb

Way to ruin it Amy! This thread was all poised to go on for thirty or forty pages...

I'm such a spoil sport.

Amy

Thanks Amy, I knew I was flirting with danger there.
Have you tried these with a food processor?

Mary

I haven't made these in years, but reading through the recipe, I see no reason why you couldn't. You'd just need to be very careful not to over-process.

Amy

As I was grating butter at 7 am this morning, the only thing going through my head was "fecking complicated biscuit recipe." They are a different kind of biscuit but very good and it was gratifying seeing all those layers. Mine looked a little odd (crooked) but that was either because I had turned the oven off by mistake and turned it on again when I put the biscuits in OR that, even though I made a great rectangle, the dough was a bit uneven in thickness.
I also put some big sugar grains on the top (what is that called???) as they were for shortbread but that was a mistake as it melted a bit.

I made rhubarb strawberry shortcakes with them and everyone liked them and when they were all assembled they hardly looked funny at all.

Mary

I love these biscuits!

I think I need to make more. Has anyone tried to make them ahead or time... any tips here?

Mary