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Chef Mo

My Biscuit Recipe adapted from Gisslen

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings: 24 3 inch biscuits
Course: Baking, Great Recipes I Stole
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 20 oz All purpose flour (Because pastry flour is hard to find)
  • 1/2 oz salt
  • 1 oz sugar
  • 1 oz baking powder (you will need more at lower altitudes)
  • 8 oz butter or shortening
  • 13 oz milk
  • 1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup water or milk for washing the tops

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a metal or glass bowl.
  3. Cut the fat into cubes about 1/4 inch. Toss in the flour, then using your fingers, crumble the fat into the flour.
  4. Add the milk slowly and mix by hand into a sticky mass.
  5. Mold into a flattish square and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a long rectangle and fold in half. Turn 90 degrees, roll out into a rectangle again and fold again. Repeat this 4 times. You can do this more for more layers, but working the dough will make each layer tough.
  6. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and use a round cutter. DO NOT use a glass like your grandma did. This seals the edges and will prevent the biscuits puffing up. You can also make square or triangular biscuits. This will prevent scraps, which become tough as you re-roll them.
  7. Place the cut biscuits on a dry sheet pan about 1/2 inch apart. Brush with the egg wash, being careful not to get it on the sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and cooked through.

Notes

Simple Biscuits
Folks are scared of biscuits for some reason. They are actually very easy to make. You can have these ready to go into the oven in minutes. I got this from my baking textbook, Professional Baking, 5th edition, by Wayne Gisslen. Go buy it. You can get a used copy for $15-40 from Amazon.
I’ll post the original here, and my adaptation separately.
Biscuits I
Biscuits!    
 
Recipe Type: Simple quickbread biscuits
Author: Gisslen
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 17 mins
Total time: 27 mins
Serves: 3 to 4 dozen biscuits depending on size
Folks are scared of biscuits for some reason. They are really simple. You can have them ready to go into the oven in just a few minutes. I got this recipe from my baking textbook, Professional Baking, 5th Ed. by Wayne Gisslen. You can pick up a used copy on Amazon.com for $15-40. It’s a great book. I’ll post the original and then my adaptation.
Ingredients
  • Bread flour 1#, 4 oz.
  • Pastry flour 1#, 4 oz.
  • Salt 3/4 oz.
  • Sugar 2 oz.
  • Baking Powder 2.5 oz.
  • Shortening and/or butter 14 oz.
  • Milk 14 oz.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Sift together the first 5 ingredients into a large glass or metal bowl. If you don’t have an actual sifter, use a colander. It’ll work.
  2. Cut the fat into small cubes and toss in the flour. Using a bowl scraper or a plastic spatula, chop up the fat until is in particles smaller than a pea.
  3. Slowly add the milk and stir until it forms a sticky mass.
  4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out into a long rectangle. Fold in half. Turn 90 degrees and roll out again. Repeat this 4 to six times. Roll out to about half an inch thick and cut out biscuits with a round cutter or just cut into squares. Put the biscuits on a dry baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. If you want a pretty brown top, you can brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten with an equal amount of water or milk)