Sunday, November 1, 2009

A Backup to Bakewells

While Bakewell biscuits will always be number one in my heart, there may come a day when a baker like me finds herself out of Bakewell Cream.  Or whipping up a batch of biscuits in the non-Bakewell-equipped kitchen of a friend or relative.  And in such a case, said baker should have a biscuit backup recipe.

My backup recipe of choice: angel biscuits.

As the name implies, angel biscuits are light and fluffy, and they get that way with yeast.  Be warned, the yeast needs a little time to work, so plan ahead.

I made these to go along with a soup we had last week, but they also make a swell breakfast.  I recommend a little peach butter.  Or regular butter.  That's good, too.

This recipe comes from an old issue of Cooking Light, submitted by reader Linda Turner in Springfield, Mo.  Linda, I salute you.  But I'm also sending you a tin of Bakewell Cream.  Watch your mailbox. 


Angel Biscuits
  • 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1/2  cup  warm water (105° to 115°)
  • 5  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1/4  cup  sugar
  • 1  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  cup  vegetable shortening
  • 2  cups  low-fat buttermilk
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush melted margarine over biscuit tops. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden.


The food: Angel biscuits
The verdict: Tell me, tell me the words to define the way I feel about something so fine

12 comments:

faith said...

Abbie, this is such a great recipe! I shared a link to it over at The Kitchn today:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-review/fall-baking-angel-biscuits-100257

Cheers!
Faith

Sprouted Kitchen said...

so gorgeous! I have never heard of these, and the for sure need to be with my family for the holidays! lovely!

Anne At Large said...

I found you from the Kitchn link, this recipe looks great! I can't wait to make it, can you say approximately how many biscuits it makes?

Abbie said...

Yes, it makes 20-24 biscuits, depending on how you cut them and how willing you are to re-knead the scraps. As you'd imagine, the re-kneaded biscuits are a little tougher than the first ones you cut.

Zom G. said...

Yum! Made them this evening. Even heavy whole wheat flour couldn't dull these beauties. Thanks for the recipe!

Roscoe Bodine said...

Mouth watering, How about whole wheat pastry flour?

Anonymous said...

I'm a reader over from The Kitchn. The only time I've ever seen a yeast/baking powder/soda combination was in a type of bread called Rut made by a female Afghani doctor I knew in Germany. Topped with black cumin. Delicious.

I'll have to try your recipe! Thanks!

Susan Gregg said...

I just found your blog and I love it. I posted your recipe with lots of links and mentions credits on my angel blog.

What a find. I will be back and hopefully so will all my readers.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Anonymous said...

These look so yummy, thanks for sharing! They seem like they'd be great for breakfast. I was wondering if I could make the dough in the evening and let it rest in the fridge overnight, to bake fresh in the morning?

Abbie said...

Roscoe, I haven't tried whole wheat pastry flour yet but I think it's worth a go. I also haven't tried letting them rise in the fridge overnight. My concern with that would be the baking powder -- since it activates immediately, would you lose some of your rise letting them set overnight? I might experiment and see what happens.

Cara mia said...

For those readers in New England and New York, but not in Maine, Bakewell Cream can be found at Hannaford Supermarkets. (They are from Maine...)

I also stumbled on Yankee Grocery, which has a bunch of New England and New York goodies. But I didn't see New England style hot dog rolls.

Betsy said...

Wanted to say a belated thank you for this recipe. Since finding it last year via thekitchn, I've been making them for every special occasion. A-yummmmm!