On the topics of baking secrets.....
I have been baking over 50 years and collecting cookbooks and
especially baking books, of any ethnic international recipe.
So when I read about A Touch of Grace Biscuits in _The Taste Of The
South_ magazine, recipe from Cookbook author Shirley Corriher, author
of _Bakewise_ (she also wrote _Cookwise_ ) I tried the recipe. So
impressed was I with the recipe and having made biscuits for 50 years
always trying to improve on the best, I bought her book. She reveals
all the secrets of individualingredients and preparation in a format
that is easy to read and understand for the beginning baker to the experienced.
This incredible biscuit recipe is worth trying. These biscuits are
most unusual in the preparation process. To me they were tender,
fluffy, moist with a cake like yeast quality. The combination of
butter, salt, sweetness was perfect for me. Not your typical biscuit
texture. Although the recipe says to use shortening, I would suggest
the butter flavor kind. I had no shortening and I used sweet
unsalted butter. Normally self rising flour tends to bit a bit salty
and so I decreased the salt in the recipe. I happened to use a square
pan to bake the biscuits. I don't think it would make any big
difference. Just my humble opinion .
Although I fudged the recipe only in a minor way with butter instead
of the shortening and pan shape; they were the best biscuits I ever
made. It's really the preparation process that makes them so unusal!
Anyway, I hope you try these and enjoy them as much as we did. I used
the Presto brand self rising cake flour as White Lily was not
available here. The cherry chambord butter would make any of your
best biscuit recipes over the top!
Enjoy,
Joan
Touch of Grace Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups spooned and leveled self rising flour ( example White Lily, )
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt ( I used 1/4 tsp )
1/4 cup shortening ( I used butter )
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk or as needed
1 cup all purpose flour for shaping
3 Tbs sweet melted butter for brushing
Cherry Chambord butter:
1/2 cup butter
8 oz pkg cream cheese ( 1 pkg )
2 Tbs Chambord or raspberry flavored liquor
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbs good quality cherry preserves
Directions
Preheat oven to 425F
Spray a 8 or 9 inch round cake pan with cooking spray ( I used a
square cake pan )
Mix together flour and salt into a bowl.
Work shortening ( I used sweet butter ) in with finger tips quickly
until no large lumps.
Gently stir in cream; then some buttermilk ( enough as needed ) to
produce a COTTAGE CHEESE CONSISTENCY, a wet mass but no soupy.
Spread all purpose flour out in a pie plate.
With a medium ice cream scoop, scoop mixture 3 or 4 scoops at a time on flour.
Using your hands coat dough with flour, gently form into a ball,
shaking off excess flour as you work.
Place biscuits into prepared pan, scrunching each biscuit up against
its neighbor so biscuits wont spread out but they will rise up.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes center oven rack till lightly browned.
Brush with the melted butter.
Invert onto plate and reinvert on another plate again so biscuits are upright.
Quickly cut with a sharp knife to separate them.
Serve with Cherry Chamboard butter
Just mix all butter ingredients ( except preserves ) in food
processor then stir in preserve by hand keeps well for a few weeks,
covered in the refrigerator.