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Bread

Biscuit Loaf

A quick oven-baked loaf of biscuits made with flour, baking powder, salt, cold grease, and cold water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Biscuit Loaf

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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

Make the dough

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

  2. Add the cold grease and mix quickly with a big spoon or wooden paddle.

  3. Gradually add the cold water, mixing until just combined.

  4. Do not knead or handle the dough too much to keep it light.

Bake

  1. Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan.

  2. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

All-purpose flour
Provides the structure that holds the loaf together as it bakes.
Baking powder
Releases gas as it reacts with liquid and heat, lifting the loaf so it rises.
Cold grease
Stays in small solid pieces, creating flaky layers and a tender texture as it melts.
Cold water
Hydrates the flour so the dough binds, and its cold temperature keeps the fat solid.

The step that matters

Do not overwork the dough. Mixing or kneading develops gluten, which makes the loaf tough and dense instead of light. Stop once the water is just combined.

“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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