Baking Powder Biscuits
Quick, soft biscuits made with baking powder, lard, and butter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lard
- ¾ cup milk and water in equal parts
- 1 tablespoon butter
Steps
Step 1. Mix dry ingredients, and sift twice.
Step 2. Work in butter and lard with tips of fingers; add gradually the liquid, mixing with knife to a soft dough. It is impossible to determine the exact amount of liquid, owing to differences in flour.
Step 3. Toss on a floured board, pat and roll lightly to one-half inch in thickness. Shape with a biscuit-cutter.
Step 4. Place on buttered pan, and bake in hot oven twelve to fifteen minutes. If baked in too slow an oven, the gas will escape before it has done its work. Many obtain better results by using bread flour.
Where this recipe comes from
The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer, Little, Brown, and Company, 1910. License: Public domain. No one owns a copyright in it, so it's free to use. The wording is the original, with typos fixed, a few steps split, and references to recipes that aren't shown here left out. View the original (opens in a new tab)
These recipes were written in 1910, when ovens had no dials. A slow oven is roughly 250 to 325°F (120 to 165°C), a moderate oven roughly 350 to 375°F (175 to 190°C), and a hot oven roughly 400 to 450°F (200 to 230°C). Old advice on eggs and meat can differ from today's food-safety guidance, so cook until done.