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 the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Mix and shape
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening until well combined. Do not knead the dough.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet.
Bake
Bake for about 5 minutes 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
- Provides the structure that holds the biscuits together as they bake.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the heat, making the biscuits rise and become light.
- Shortening
- Fat coats the flour, keeping the texture tender and helping the biscuits brown.
The step that matters
Mix without kneading. Kneading develops gluten, which makes biscuits tough and dense. Mixing only until combined keeps the dough tender and the biscuits light.
“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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