Soda Biscuits
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make and shape the dough
In a large bowl, mix the flour, lard, salt, and baking powder.
Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface.
Roll out the dough to about ½ inch thick.
Cut into biscuits and place on a baking sheet.
Bake
Bake for 5 minutes or until golden 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure that holds the biscuits together as the dough sets in the oven.
- Lard or shortening
- Coats flour particles to limit gluten, keeping the biscuits tender and crumbly.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas as it reacts in the dough, helping the biscuits rise.
The step that matters
Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface.. Brief kneading builds just enough gluten to hold the shape. Overworking develops too much gluten, making the biscuits tough and dense, so handle the dough gently.
“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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