Baking Powder 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
Sift the baking powder through the flour.
Rub in the lard and salt.
Stir in the cold water with a spoon.
If the dough is too soft to roll out, flour the board well.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough, cut into biscuits, and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven.
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 main structure of the biscuits as the dough sets in the oven.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the dough, helping the biscuits rise and become light.
- Lard
- Coats the flour particles, keeping the biscuits tender and flaky rather than tough.
- Cold water
- Brings the flour and fat together into a dough and adds moisture for steam during baking.
The step that matters
Stir in the cold water with a spoon. Mixing only until the dough comes together keeps it tender, since overworking develops gluten and makes biscuits tough. Cold water keeps the fat solid, which creates flaky layers as it melts in the oven.
“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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