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.
Prepare the dough
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Work the lard into the flour until well combined.
Add the water and stir with your hand until a stiff dough forms.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.
Shape and bake
Beat the dough with a rolling pin until it puffs up and feels light.
Divide the dough into small pieces and shape each into a half-inch thick round.
Prick each biscuit with a fork and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.
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 gluten network that gives the dough structure once it is worked and beaten.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to shorten the dough, giving a tender, flaky texture and browning.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so its proteins form a stiff, cohesive dough.
The step that matters
Beat the dough with a rolling pin. Repeated beating works air into the stiff dough and develops its gluten, so the biscuits puff and turn light instead of dense. Stopping early leaves them heavy.
“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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