Biscuits, Beaten
A southern speciality, beaten biscuits look and taste like a creamy
soda cracker. In order to break the gluten and thus ensure a tender,
flaky texture, the dough must thoroughly beaten. Origanally this was
done with a wooden mallet or the broad side of an axe. In the 1870s,
this arduous labor was rendered obsolete by the ingenious device
consisting of handcranked rollers mounted on an iron base. Antique
biscuit brakes can sometimes be picked up at yard sales, but,
thankfully, a food processor does the job wonderfully.