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Making Baking Powder Biscuits Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk together
Baking Powder Biscuits Scones the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Arrange the butter
While really more akin to pastry than to bread, baking pow- Scones are a lot like biscuits, but the dough is lightly sweet- on top so the slices don’t overlap and cut through the mixture
der biscuits are best served hot at a meal, perhaps a special ened. This recipe can accommodate any sort of dried fruit. with a pastry cutter until the butter is about the size of peas.
meal, where they can accompany meats or other substantial Add the milk and stir the mixture just long enough to absorb
foods. You can make these by hand in a bowl, by hand on Makes 8 scones the milk and any loose flour. If you still see loose flour, add
a work surface, in a mixer, or in a food processor. Here, the 3 cups flour
another 2 tablespoons milk. Sprinkle the cranberries over the
biscuits are made in a bowl with a pastry cutter. 5 tablespoons sugar
mixture while stirring so they are evenly distributed in the

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

dough. Stir together the dough with a rubber spatula for
Makes 1 1 / 2 pounds dough, 12 biscuits 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
about 1 minute. Don’t overwork the dough.

2 cups flour 1 cup cold butter, thinly sliced

Dump the dough out onto a work surface and use your

1 teaspoon baking soda 11/4 cups milk or heavy cream plus more as needed
hands to gather it together into a mound, then flatten it into
1. When the dough starts to come 2. Dump the dough onto a work surface
1/ 4 teaspoon salt together, scrape it away from the sides and knead slightly to get it to come 1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or diced dried apricots,
a disk. At this point, it may be necessary to knead it a little to
of the bowl with a bench scraper. together. Pull the dough into a mound. It get it to hold together. Don’t knead it any more than necessary
1/ 2 cup cold butter, thinly sliced soaked for 30 minutes in just enough hot water to
should barely hold together.
cover, drained for it to hold together in a loose shaggy mass. Roll it out into a
3 /4 cup buttermilk or more as needed
3 / 4 -inch-thick disk. Cut the disk into 8 wedges and put them on
a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, stir together
Turn down the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 30 minutes,
the flour, baking soda, and salt. Place the butter over the dry
or until the scones are pale brown.
ingredients so none of the pieces is clinging to another and
cut through the mixture with a pastry cutter until the butter
Making Scones
is about the size of peas. Add the buttermilk and combine
the mixture with a rubber spatula just long enough to absorb
the liquid and any loose flour. If you still see loose flour, add
another 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Don’t overwork the dough.
Dump the dough out onto a work surface and use your 3. Use the heel of your hand to flatten 4. Roll the dough out into a 2/3-inch-thick
the mound into a disk. disk and cut out the biscuits with a fluted
hands to gather it together into a mound. Flatten it into a disk. cookie cutter.
At this point, it may be necessary to knead it a little to get it
to hold together. Don’t knead it any more than necessary for
it to hold together in a loose shaggy mass. Roll it out into a
2 / 3 -inch-thick disk and use a 21/ 2-inch fluted cookie cutter to
cut out the biscuits. Place them on a sheet pan. Gather up the
scraps, roll out again, and cut more biscuits.
Turn down the oven to 375°F. Bake for about 20 minutes,
or until golden brown. Serve right out of the oven.
1. Once you have mixed the dough, you can knead it 2. Flatten the mound into a 3/4-inch-thick disk with the
in the bowl or, as shown here, on a work surface. Bring heel of your hand or with a rolling pin. Cut the disk into
the dough together into a mound. Don’t overwork it— wedges and bake until pale brown.
it should look a bit ragged.

5. Bake until golden brown.

342 Baking Breads, Quick breads, and bread-based desserts 343