Beaten Biscuits
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).
Rub the lard into the flour until well mixed.
Stir in the water quickly with your hand until a stiff dough forms.
Beat the dough until smooth for about 30 minutes using a rolling pin.
Shape and bake
Divide the dough into small pieces and shape them into biscuits by hand.
Roll each piece to ½ inch thick and make a thumbprint in the center. Prick each biscuit with a fork.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
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 the dough builds from once it is worked and beaten.
- Lard
- Shortens the flour, giving the biscuits a tender, flaky bite and rich flavor.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so the starch and gluten form a stiff, workable dough.
The step that matters
Beating the dough for about 30 minutes. Long beating develops gluten and strengthens the dough so the biscuits stay firm and bake up crisp rather than crumbling. Stopping early leaves the dough weak and the texture short.
“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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