Gold Medal™ Flour Classic Biscuits

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until mixed. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the milk until mixture forms a soft dough and leaves the side of the bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).
2. Lightly sprinkle flour over a cutting board or countertop. Place dough on floured surface; gently roll in the flour to coat. To knead dough, fold dough toward you. With the heels of your hands, lightly push dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat 10 times. Dough will feel springy and smooth.
3. On the floured surface, flatten dough evenly, using hands or a rolling pin, until dough is 1/2 inch thick.
4. Before cutting each biscuit, dip a 2 1/2-inch round cutter into flour to lightly coat it so it will cut cleanly through the dough without sticking. To cut, push the cutter straight down through the dough without twisting or turning. Cut the biscuits as close together as possible. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place biscuits about 1 inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides, or place with sides touching for biscuits with soft sides.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Tips

• When kneading, be mindful not to overwork the dough. Knead only until the ingredients are just mixed and the dough is no longer sticky.
• Use only just enough flour to roll the dough out easily—too much flour can become worked into the dough and make touch biscuits.
• To cut biscuits, push a round cutter dipped in flour straight down in the dough. Remove the excess dough around the biscuits. Using a flat metal spatula, move each biscuit to a cookie sheet. To cut remaining biscuits, gather the excess dough together and gently flatten dough until 1/2 inch thick. Use as little additional four on the surface as possible to prevent tough dry biscuits.
• For easy clean-up, line your cookie sheets with parchment paper before baking. After you’re finished baking, don’t toss that used parchment paper! Once cooled, you can store it away for future reuse.

• Give these biscuits a flavorful finish by brushing them in garlic butter before serving. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic in a tablespoon of butter until the garlic slightly browns. When the biscuits come out of the oven, immediately brush them in the garlic butter mixture.

Nutrition Information