You Say Scone....I Say Biscuit

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens! Now, if you know Audax, you know that this challenge could have been something extremely difficult and fantastical...instead, we were challenged to do basic!  I LOVE it! 

Living in MS, biscuits are a staple but I don't think that many people have actually mastered them.  They usually get the canned or frozen kind.  My family is a frozen family.  Those great frozen biscuits that pop up so nice and tall...and then I make homemade biscuits and they are tough and flat.  Ugh!  So, I was excited to try this recipe.  The only time I've had success with a biscuit was when I made blueberry biscuits from the local junior league cookbook...gonna have to do it again because they were great.  But back to this challenge.

I decided to make biscuits the first Sunday of the month after New Years to take to Sunday school.  Unfortunately, one teacher had already brought monkey bread, so not many were eaten...but Mr. Randy had some and thought they were good.  D had some as well and then took the rest home with him after church.  I thought they turned out quite well myself.  Not tall but definitely not flat...and they had LAYERS!!!  Another plus...SO fast to make.  I made two batches in less than 20 minutes.  Thursday, I decided to try some with cheese to go with our chicken chili. 

Not sure if I could really taste the cheese distinctly but they were definitely crisper...in a good way. I really enjoyed them....think D did, too!  Really enjoyed this challenge.  Thanks, Audax! 

Basic Scones (a.k.a. biscuits)
Ingredients:
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm/5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) fresh baking powder
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1½ gm) salt
2 tablespoons (30 gm/1 oz) frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
approximately ½ cup (120 ml) cold milk

Preheat oven to 475.  In a bowl, triple sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.  After that, put cold butter into bowl and cut into flour (I used my pastry blender but you could use two knives or your hands).  Then stir in about 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk and it was fine).  You should have a slightly sticky dough.  Place dough on pastry cloth or board.  Roll out to 1/2 inch thick.  Then cut into desired shape.  If you have a biscuit cutter, use that.  If not, just use a knife.  Place biscuits on baking stone and place stone in oven.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Enjoy hot with butter and jam!

For cheese scones add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with dry ingredients and then 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese.  Hopefully you'll have some garlic powder as well...I didn't!  Everything else is the same...enjoy!