Best Biscuits EVER

Ingredients

·         Dough:

• 4 cups of flour
• 6 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 heaping tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening (I use butter flavoured crisco or unsalted butter)
• 1 egg
• 2 cups milk

·         Filling - if using dough for cinnamon rolls :

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4  cup cinnamon

·         Optional glaze:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk
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·        Instructions - preheat oven to 400 degrees

1.    Mix the dry ingredients -- flour, baking powder, salt and white sugar -- with your hands, on a large wooden board.

2.    Add ½ cup shortening (or butter – your choice – and make sure it’s at room temperature) and blend it into the flour with your hands until crumbly - like frozen peas - don't be afraid if there are little lumps - this will create the layers and texture

3.    Crack the egg into a 2 cup measuring cup and add whole milk to fill to 2 cups and beat in the measuring cup until well mixed.  Make a well in centre of the flour and add almost all of the milk/egg mixture.  Leave a TBSP or so in the cup.

4.    With a fork – scrape all the flour into the milk and combine until all the flour is absorbed and you have the dough nicely combined.   Don't over work the dough - just barely mixed. 

5.    Sprinkle a little flour onto your counter and form the dough into a ball and place on the floured surface.   Dough will be quite sticky - sprinkle with flour

6.    Sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough and on your rolling pin and gently roll out until about 1 inch thick square.  Using a bench scraper, fold the dough over itself and roll out to one inch thick square again.  Repeat this 4 times;  this creates the flaky layers in your biscuits.

7.  Roll to 1 inch thick and cut into biscuits.  You can use a round metal cookie cutter with a sharp edge or a pizza cutter to form into triangles.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart, and brush with remaining milk/egg mixture and bake for 8 minutes, turn the pan around, and bake for a further 8 minutes.  If they seem to be a little brown at the turning point, reduce oven to 375.  Some ovens are hotter than others!

To use this dough for cinnamon rolls - 

1.  At step 7  = roll dough to a rectangle 1/2 inch thick - make sure there's lots of flour under the dough on the board.

2.    Brush about 1/4 c melted butter over the surface - you can use more or less to your preference. Sprinkle the brown sugar all over the dough and right to the edges.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the complete surface. 

3.  Roll up the dough from the long end away from you toward you, like a long jelly roll.

4.  With a serrated bread knife, cut your slices about ¾ inch thick and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  

5.  Bake for 8 minutes, turn the pan around, and bake for a further 8 minutes.  If they seem to be a little brown at the turning point, reduce oven to 375.  Some ovens are hotter than others!

Cinnamon rolls - to glaze or not to glaze?   I am a no... but if you must.....

o     3 tablespoons of soft butter

o     2 tsp vanilla

o     About 2 cups of icing sugar

o     A little bit of milk

Combine ingredients in a bowl -should be like a honey or syrup consistency.  Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.