Cake Flour Biscuits Recipes

CAKE-FLOUR BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut lard and butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut lard and butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and pat it down again, as gently as you can. Repeat. Now gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
• Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Cut 1/2 cup of the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and refrigerate it along with the shortening. In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the steel blade, pulse together the cake flour, 3/4 cup of the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the butter and shortening and pulse to combine, until small crumbles are present. 6 to 8 times, or Add the buttermilk and pulse until a dough ball forms, about 5 to 6 times.
• Dust a dry work surface with flour and have the remaining 1 cup ready for kneading. Turn the dough out onto the floured work surface. With floured hands, gently press the dough out into an 11 by 8-inch rectangle, about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, dust lightly with flour and gently fold it over in thirds, like a letter. Roll or press out to a 6 by 6-inch rectangle again about 2 inches thick. Cut the dough into 9 squares (2 by 2 inches each) with a pizza cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a silicone mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Melt the remaining tablespoon butter and brush tops with melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.
• Place baking sheet in the middle of the oven and immediately turn oven down to 450 degrees F. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove biscuits to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into bits and with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and heavy cream, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined (mixture will be wet).
• Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and with floured hands turn dough to coat evenly. Knead dough gently 4 to 6 times, or just until smooth (do not overwork dough), and pat or roll out dough into an 8-inch round (slightly more than 1/2 inch thick).
• Using a floured 2- to 2 1/2-inch star-shaped or round cutter cut out biscuits and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Gently pat out or roll out dough scraps and cut out more biscuits in same manner.
• Bake biscuits, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until pale golden and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer biscuits as baked to a basket lined with a cloth and cover with cloth to keep warm and moist.
• Serve biscuits with butter.