ANGEL BISCUITS

When my sons used to live at home,

one of their favorite breakfasts was biscuits and gravy.

I would always have trouble in making the biscuits.

They would be either crumbly or not right.

I was always dreaming of them coming out flaky.

 

I then found a recipe on King Arthur's website

the solved all of my problems in making the biscuits.

I've never had anymore problems and my boys love it.

 

So this early Sunday morning, angel biscuits are in the oven

ready to be eaten when they are finished baking.

 

Here's the recipe:

 

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon instant yeast

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

3/4 cup milk or buttermilk

 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1/4 cup of the flour.  Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Cut in the shortening and the butter, mixing until everything's rough and crumbly.  Add the milk to the yeast mixture, and pour this all at once into the dry ingredients.  Fold together gently until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and becomes cohesive.  Sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of water only if necessary to make the dough hold together.

 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Pat it gently into an 8 x 10 inch rectangle; it'll be about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut the dough into fifteen 2 inch round biscuits.  Gather, reroll and cut the scraps, if desired; the resulting biscuits will probably be a bit tougher.  Place the biscuits on an ungreased or parchment line baking sheet.  Cover them lightly, and allow them to rise for 1 hour, or until they've increased in size about a third.  The biscuits may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight at this point, or frozen for later use.

 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Uncover the biscuits and place the pan on the top third of the oven.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  The biscuits are done when golden brown on the top and bottom.  Remove the biscuits from the oven and serve them hot, with butter, and jam.