Here is the original recipe:
Two pints of flour, butter the size of an egg, three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder and one teaspoonful of salt; make a soft dough of sweet milk, knead as little as possible, cut out with the usual biscuit-cutter and bake in rather a quick oven.
(I love that last part: ‘bake in a rather quick oven’!) Here’s the modern translation:
Serves: 6
Prep time: One hour
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour, and more for patting out the dough
- 2 cups cream or milk (we did it both ways and the cream makes the biscuit a bit richer)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Directions
- Preheat over to 400 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender, until mixture looks coarse and crumb-y.
- Pour in cream and fold into the mixture until a wet dough forms.
- Turn out the dough onto a flour-covered board and pat out dough to 1/and ½ inches high.
- Using the cutter of your choice (our was 4 inches in diameter), cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet, two inches apart. (They will grow in the oven.)
- Bake 25 minutes. Serve while still warm. Especially good with honey.
