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I was just getting ready to sit down to my Soup of the Week for lunch when I started to think about a biscuit recipe that appeared in our local newspaper yesterday. It was a recipe from Canadian chef Michael Smith and he wrote that the secret to his mother's great biscuits was using frozen butter.
I had taken the precaution of putting butter in the freezer with the thought of making these to go with a hearty stew for some dinner. But once it had occurred to me that they would be good with the mushroom soup, I had to make them. By the time the oven was hot, they were ready to go in. I just made them straight up, but you could certainly add dried herbs, and maybe a little Parmesan cheese. In any case, they were a wonderful treat on a wintry day.Frozen Butter Biscuits
Makes eight to 10 large biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup frozen butter
1½ cups milk
A sprinkle or two of salt and pepper
1.Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until evenly mixed. Shred the frozen butter through the large holes of a box grater or potato grater directly into the dry ingredients. Toss gently with your fingers until the butter shards are spread evenly throughout the flour.
3. Pour the milk into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon upside down to form a dough mass. (The handle of the spoon is gentler on the dough than the bowl.) Fold the dough over a few times with your hands until all the ingredients comes together. If necessary, add a bit more milk to help gather up any stray flour. This kneading will strengthen the dough a bit, but not enough to toughen the biscuits. It'll also help them form a crisp crust when they bake.
4. Pat the dough out on a lightly floured cutting board, forming a loose round shape. Cut it into wedges-like a pie-or any other shape you'd like.
5. Position the wedges on a baking sheet and sprinkle a bit of coarse salt and coarsely ground pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or so. You'll know they're done when they turn golden brown.
Biscuits are easily scented with herbs and spices. Feel free to add a spoonful or so for lots of flavour. Rosemary, thyme and curry all taste great.
From the February 13, 2008 edition of The Globe and Mail
Difficulty Level: Easy
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