Good biscuits come in small batches

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2011 (5389 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MARGIE BAILEY from Carberry wrote in with a problem: She loves fresh-baked biscuits, but she and her husband don’t need a whole batch at once. Thanks to everybody who wrote in with small-batch solutions, including Linda Snider, Barb Hogue, Helen Karasiuk, Bessie Olinyk, Suzanne Ritchot and Sylvia Moloney. I got so many nifty options that I will run make-ahead biscuits this week and next. There are yeast biscuits and baking powder biscuits, homemade mixes that you can keep on hand, as well as freezer versions that can be popped, two or three at a time, straight into the oven. These recipes are also handy for anyone who wants biscuits for breakfast but doesn’t want to get up early to make them.

Suzanne Ritchot offers a homemade biscuit mix taken from The Supermarket Handbook by Nikki and David Goldbeck (1973). The recipe given makes about 15 biscuits, but Suzanne often makes only two at a time; “We just eyeball the amount of mix and water,” she says. Sylvia Moloney sent in a recipe she clipped from the Canstar Herald for buttermilk freezer biscuits.

In the meantime, we’re still looking for favourite summer salads. And this is not strictly a recipe request, but Lucille Armstrong is trying to hunt down a good substitute for the much missed Co-op cream cheese. Does anyone know where to get a good “Winnipeg-style” cream cheese? If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Nikki’s homemade biscuit mix

1,000 ml (4 1/2 cups) whole wheat flour

250 ml (1 cup) dry skim milk powder

45 ml (3 tbsp) baking powder

30 ml (2 tbsp) raw sugar (white sugar will also work)

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

175 ml (3/4 cup) oil

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, skim milk powder, baking powder, sugar and salt until well combined. Add the oil in a thin stream and stir with a fork until mixture becomes sandy. Do not overmix. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within a month.

 

To make biscuits:

750 ml (3 cups) biscuit mix

scant 150 ml (2/3 cups) water

Preheat oven to 205C (400F). Measure biscuit mix into medium bowl. (Spoon mixture lightly into the cup and level off. Do not tamp down.) Make a well in the centre, pour in water, and stir lightly to make a soft dough. Knead dough gently on a floured surface about 10 times. Roll out gently until 1 cm (1/2 in) thick and cut with a 5 cm (2 in) biscuit cutter. Bake on an ungreased sheet until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Tester’s notes: These aren’t as fluffy as some biscuits, but that’s because they’re made with skim milk and canola oil, not the usual lashings of shortening and buttermilk. With the warm taste and texture of whole wheat, these make a good healthy option. If you want a smaller batch, just make up using a ratio of 5 parts dry mix to 1 part water.

 

 

I should confess that last week I went out and bought a biscuit cutter. I’m normally not a fan of specialized kitchen gadgets, but in this case, cookie cutters aren’t deep enough and a glass or cup — which is what I used to use — isn’t sharp enough. According to bakers in the American South, who are almost religious about biscuit making, you need a clean-cut edge so that you don’t seal down the edges of the biscuit, which can interfere with rising. You should also dip the cutter into flour for each biscuit.

 

Freezer buttermilk biscuits

750 ml (3 cups) all-purpose flour

15 ml (1 tbsp) baking powder

15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar

5 ml (1 tsp) baking soda

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

150 ml (2/3 cup) shortening, cold

250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, cold

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or knives until the mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until mixture becomes a soft dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Do not overmix. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead gently about 10 times, gathering any dry bits into the centre. Press out into an 20 cm (8 in) square. Cut dough into 16 x 5 cm (2 in) squares, using a sharp knife dipped in flour. Place on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap and freeze for about three hours or until firm. Place squares in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to one month.

To bake, place frozen squares on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 205C (400F) for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Tester’s notes: These are rich biscuits with lots of flaky layers, and very easy. What a great thing to have on hand in the freezer.