Foods, their selection and preparation

To make biscuits with large volume and tender flaky crumb, this slight kneading is essential. It develops the gluten so that it will hold the leavening gas. This makes the dough elastic and it will stretch to a large volume. It also distributes the baking powder so that it can do its best work. Too much kneading, on the other hand, results in a loss of gas from the dough and toughening of the gluten, thus producing biscuits of small volume and tough texture. It is, therefore, important to give biscuits the exact amount of kneading which they re¬ quire. Here is where skill from practice is a factor. [273] After slight kneading, the soft dough is rolled gently or patted to the desired thick¬ ness, about one-half inch or slightly thicker. Cut the dough with a floured cutter, making biscuits of the size desired. It is best to cut as many biscuits as possible from the first rolling, since the second handling may toughen them somewhat. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, using a spatula to lift them. A sheet with no sides permits the biscuits to brown better then a pan. If biscuits with crusty sides are pre¬ ferred, they are placed at least a half inch apart on the sheet. If softer ones are the choice, let them touch each other. Unless the biscuits are unusually large, bake at 450° F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is an even brown. Larger biscuits need a little longer time. Good biscuits are very light. After bak¬ ing they are at least twice the biscuits of the unbaked biscuits. They are even and symmetrical in shape, with vertical sides and level tops; they neither bulge in any place nor show any tendency to flatten. The tops are fairly smooth with a tender, pale, golden-brown crust. They are flaky and tender inside, and should be served piping-hot, just out of the oven. A good biscuit never, never waits for the guest! There are many variations of biscuits. Sour milk may be used in place of sweet, in which case a scant 1/4 teaspoon baking sodais used for each cup sour milk. This amount of soda and sour milk will leaven 1 cup flour. Additional baking powder will be needed for the remaining flour. Both the soda and baking powder are sifted with the other dry ingredients. Drop Biscuits and Dumplings. Drop biscuits are made by adding more milk so that instead of a soft dough, a drop batter is formed. This batter is stirred for not over one-half minute, then dropped from a spoon onto a baking sheet, and baked like kneaded biscuits. The drop biscuits are irregular in shape but should be very tender. Dropbiscuit batter may be used for dropped dumplings, in the same way as dumplings are made on a muffin basis. When they are to be cooked with meat stew or stewed chicken, the fat may be decreased or omitted. Other variations of biscuits include the addition of grated cheese, grated orange rind, peanut butter, or chopped nuts. About J to J as much grated cheese as flour (by measure) is a good amount. Half this amount of orange rind, peanut butter, or nuts would be sufficient. Orange juice may be used in place of milk for orange biscuits. Cheese, peanut butter, and nuts add fat to the biscuits and, therefore, the other fat may be decreased slightly.