About 5 cups all-purpose
-flour
8 ts (2 tablespoons plus 2
-teaspoons) baking powder
2 ts Salt
1 ts Baking soda
3 tb Sugar
1/4 c Cold unsalted butter
1/2 c Cold shortening
5 ts Dry yeast
1/2 c Warm water
1 3/4 c Warm buttermilk; (up to 2)
Melted butter; (optional)
I got this recipe out of last year’s Thanksgiving Food Section, and baked
it again for this year. Really easy, yummy and convenient. (From the
Washington Post, November 20, 1996)
(Makes about 2 1/2 dozen biscuits)
A combination of leaveners–yeast, baking powder and baking soda–make
these Southern biscuits extra light. Traditionally, a big batch of the
dough is made and kept refrigerated. Portions, cut off as required, ensure
that every meal has a basket of piping hot little breads. Incidentally,
this same dough, rolled thin or simply hand-stretched, then fried up in
olive oil or slapped on an open grill, produces tender/chewy, absolutely
incredible flatbreads (similar to Indian naans)–great for rolling around
turkey leftovers.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda
and sugar. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it’s
well distributed and the mixture is crumbly.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast over the warm water and stir
briefly. Allow to dissolve and swell. Add the yeast mixture and the warm
buttermilk to the flour mixture and toss with a fork to blend and moisten,
creating a soft dough.
Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight, or for as long as 2 weeks.
To bake, remove a portion of dough. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a
lightly floured board, roll dough out to a thickness of 1 inch. Cut into
rounds, wedges or squares with a knife or biscuit cutter. Brush generously
with melted butter. Place on baking sheet and, if desired, sprinkle lightly
with a bit of flour. Bake until lightly browned on top, about 12 to 15
minutes.
Per biscuit: 145 calories, 3 gm protein, 19 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fat, 7
mg cholesterol, 2 gm saturated fat, 204 mg sodium.
Yields
30 Servings