Conference turris::cooks

No recipe for you, just a hint - unpleasant, chewy biscuits (pancakes, too!) 
are the product of over-mixing. Find a recipe (a simple one -- Fanny Farmer for 
example). Take the dry ingredients (typically flour, salt, sugar, baking powder 
(if liquid is milk), or baking soda (buttermilk), and mix them together. Add 
the "fat" (typically butter or veg. shortening) and mix with fingers, pastry 
fork, or knives - JUST 'TILL YOU HAVE PEA-SIZED PIECES. Add the liquid, and 
stir JUST 'TILL MIXED. You are better off with a little lump of flour somewhere
(i.e. undermixed), than a glutenous mess. The most important thing is that you
don't develop the gluten in the flour - required for good yeast bread; the
enemy of good biscuits. 

Personally I think buttermilk gives a certain "silky" quality to buscuits (
pancakes too). 

-Scott

    The address of Bon Appetit letters to the editor:
    
    RSVP
    Bon Appetit
    59 Wilshire Blvd
    L.A., California 90036
    
    They have the usual disclaimer that they will print what they have
    room for.  In the last issue there were at least a dozen recipes
    from famous resturants and hotels in this particular section of
    the magazine.
    
    Good luck!
    
    ****andrea****
    

I'm a born and raised Georgian and having been making biscuits since I was 
about 12 years old.  The way that I was always taught if very simple to make 
but hard to explain to someone else, but I'll try.

Start with a large (about 1.5 to 2 gallon) bowl.  Fill it about 1/2 to 2/3 
full of sifted self rising flour.  Put a well in the middle of the flour by
clearing out a space that goes about 1/2 way across and about 2/3 of the way 
to the bottom of the mound of flour.  In the well put about 3 to 4 fingers 
full of vegetable shortening (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup).  Pour buttermilk over the 
shortening until it's just about covered (about 3/4 of the way up the well).  
Using your fingers mix the ingredients together, adding flour from the sides 
as needed.  Continue doing this until the dough holds together well but is not 
yet really stiff.  When you finish mixing the dough, clean your fingers, 
returning all of the dough from them to the bowl.  Now, sprinkle some of the 
flour from around the edges of the bowl on top of the dough ball and start 
kneading.  Continue kneading until the dough is fairly stiff but will still 
stick together.  DO NOT USE ALL OF THE FLOUR IN THE BOWL (it can be saved for 
later).

At this point you have a choice of either rolling the dough out on a cutting 
board and using a biscuit cutter or rolling them out by hand.  I always roll 
mine out by hand (mainly because it's easier) but most restaurants cut their's 
with a biscuit cutter.

After the biscuits are cut out they should be placed on a greased baking sheet 
and put in a hot oven (about 500 degrees) until they are golden brown.  They 
usually take about 10 - 15 minutes.

I will warn you that it may take several tries before you get these exactly 
right, but when you do they come out light and flaky.  They taste really good 
for supper or for breakfast (we always had last nights leftovers).  These are 
also really good for sopping, but that's another story in itself.

Let me know if you have any luck.

Irene

    Now THAT'S my kind of recipe!
    
    My mother once sent me a recipe for low-cholesterol sheet-cake
    (more like a quick-bread) that I'd asked her for which included
    "whatever fruit is in the house, cut up", "a large container of
    ricotta", and "a good-sized glug of oil" (referring to the noise
    it makes glugging out of the bottle).
    
    --Louise

    After growing up with flakey biscuits, I was looking for a different,
    and more healthy, recipe.  A friend gave me this one, which produces a
    "creamy" biscuit.  Occasionally I substitute flavored yogurt
    (especially apple) for the plain.  It makes it both sweet and tasty.
    
    
    2 cups flour
    1/3 +/- teaspoon baking soda (not powder!!)
    1 +/- teaspoon salt
    1/2 stick of butter (and don't EVEN think about some substitute)
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup yogurt
    
    Blend dry ingredients.  Cut in butter.  Mix milk and yogurt and knock
    the chill off in the microwave (we are making a living dough,
    remember).  Mix to biscuit consistency, roll and cut out.  Makes about
    10 2 1/2 inchers.  Cook at 350 degrees until done.  Will puff up and
    split in half if done right.  Enjoy!
    

    
    Re: .7
    Could you please explain how your biscuit is more healthful than one
    without yogurt?  Looking at your recipe it doesn't seem it contains any
    less of the "BAD" ingridents than any other recipe.  Milk is milk,
    butter is butter, the fat contained in them is always the same.
    
    Bob

RE: .8

Because it has yogurt in it.  Food marketeers call this the "magic ingredient
principle."

--PSW (who doesn't believe in magic ingredients)