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Easy Cream Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Casseroles" by Denise Gee


Recipe Introduction

"Follow this recipe precisely and you'll be guaranteed heavenly light, creamy biscuits. It is adapted from 'Southern Biscuits' by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubert. These fluffy lil' numbers create a pillowy base in Nathalie's exquisite brunch casserole."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Melted butter for brushing the pan and biscuits
â—¦ 2¼ cups White Lily self-rising flour
â—¦ 1¼ cups cream


Recipe

Adjust your oven rack to one of the top positions, setting the rack one shelf above the middle, but not so close to the top of the oven that the biscuits will bump into it as they rise.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
For a soft exterior, select an 8- or 9-inch cake pan, pizza pan, or ovenproof skillet. The biscuits will nestle together snugly, helping them stay tender but rise while baking. Brush the pan with butter. For a crisp overall exterior, select a baking sheet or large baking pan where the biscuits can be spaced wide apart, allowing air to circulate and create a crisp exterior. Brush the pan with butter.

In a large bowl, fork-sift or whisk 2 cups of the flour. Make a deep hollow in the center of the flour with the back of your hand. Pour 1 cup of the cream into the hollow and stir with a rubber spatula or large metal spoon, using broad circular strokes to quickly pull the flour into the cream. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the sticky dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If there is some flour remaining on the bottom and sides of the bowl, stir in 1 to 4 tablespoons of the remaining cream, just enough to incorporate the remaining flour into the shaggy, wettish dough. If the dough seems too wet, use more flour when shaping.

Lightly sprinkle a baking sheet or other clean surface with some of the remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto the board and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Flour your hands and then fold the dough into a round â…“ to ½ inch thick, using a little additional flour if the dough is sticky. Fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still lumpy, pat and fold it a third time.

Pat the dough into a round ½ inch thick for a normal biscuit, ¾ inch thick for a tall biscuit, and 1 inch thick for a giant biscuit. Brush off any visible flour from the top. Dip a 2½-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut out the biscuits, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. Re-flour the cutter after each biscuit. (The scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits, although these scraps make tougher biscuits.)

Using a metal spatula, move the cream biscuits to the pan or baking sheet. Place them with sides touching for a softer biscuit or spaced about 1 inch apart for a crispier exterior. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan so the front is now turned to the back. If the bottoms are browning too quickly, slide another baking pan underneath to add insulation. Continue baking for another 4 to 8 minutes, until they are lightly golden brown.

When the biscuits are done (within a total of 10 to 14 minutes), remove them from the oven and lightly brush the tops with butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down on a plate to cool slightly. Serve hot, right-side up.


Makes 12 to 16 biscuits



â—¦ Notes:

∙ If there's no local source for White Lily and no time to order it, I'm so very sorry. But you can somewhat substitute it with one part all-purpose flour and one part cake flour (so for this recipe, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour).

∙ Biscuits will keep well in an airtight container for about 1 week in the refrigerator. They will freeze well for up to 2 months if you wrap them tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap and pack in freezer bags. Let biscuits defrost overnight in the refrigerator or use the microwave on the defrost setting.