Breadmaking 101

Lesson 4: Biscuits and Scones

Mixing Matters

The major difference between biscuits and scones and the other quick breads we’ve talked about is the method by which the fat is added to the dry ingredients. The method is similar to that used to make a pie crust, and the instructions will probably say something like rub in or cut in the butter or shortening. Lard is the traditional fat of choice for Southern biscuits, but shortening is fine.

The way you cut in the butter is with your hands, two forks or a gizmo called a pastry blender. The butter should be cold and cut into small pieces. With your hands, gently rub bits of flour into the butter until the butter is covered and the consistency of the dough is something like coarse breadcrumbs or cornmeal. If you use forks, just start in the middle and work to the edges of the bowl. With the pastry blender, just push it down into the bowl and use it to cut the butter and fold in the flour.

The clumps of butter make the biscuits flaky, so don’t worry if the dough is not totally uniform. Then, make a well in the center of the bowl and add your liquid. This is the time you can add cheese, nuts, currants, chips, whatever. Use a spoon or fork to gently combine into one big mass. Don’t worry if every little bit of dough isn’t incorporated into a big ball like yeast dough.

When you have a mostly smooth ball of dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured cutting board, clean countertop or piece of parchment paper. Using that flour, you can push the remaining crumbs into the dough and flatten it out to about half an inch or a little more in thickness. You can do this by hand or with a rolling pin. Then you can cut the dough into the desired shape, using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or even just cutting the dough into squares. Sometimes scones are baked in one piece and then cut into triangles or squares.

If using a cutter, you will have scraps that need to be pushed together without working too much before cutting again. You don’t want to work the dough so much that the butter melts. When you use the cutter, put a little flour on it so it doesn’t stick and push straight down and pull straight up. If you twist the edges they might not rise evenly in the oven.

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