Beaten Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
Mix cold water, lard, flour, and salt in a bowl.
Rub the lard into the flour until well combined.
Add the water and salt to form a stiff dough.
Place the dough on a board and beat it with a wooden mallet for 30 minutes until elastic.
Shape and bake
Pull off pieces and form them into balls the size of walnuts, then flatten slightly and prick with a fork.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until slightly brown.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the dough, which gains strength as it is worked.
- Lard
- Fat that coats the flour particles, giving the biscuit a tender, short texture.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough can form and become elastic.
The step that matters
Beating the dough for 30 minutes. Repeated beating works the stiff dough and develops gluten, making it elastic. This structure is what gives beaten biscuits their dense, blistered, crisp texture after baking. Beating too briefly leaves the dough less developed.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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