Basic Rolled Biscuits

See also Buttermilk Biscuits.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 to 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup milk

Method

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Have ready a large ungreased baking sheet.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. Cut in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry blender, tossing the pieces with the flour mixture to coat and separate them as you work. [RG has used a food processor for this step, but grating the butter with a coarse cheese grater is the best method.] . . . Do not allow the butter to melt or form a past with the flour.
4. Add the milk all at once. Mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork just until most of the dry ingredients are moistened. With a lightly floured hand, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl 5 to 10 times, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dought each time until they adhere and the bowl is fairly clean.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin or your fingers, roll out or pat the dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut out 1 3/4- to 2-inch rounds with a drinking glass or biscuit cutter dipped in flour; push the cutter straight down into the dough and pull it out without twisting for biscuits that will rise evenly. . . .
6. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides or close together for biscuits that are joined and remain soft on the sides. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes.

Source

Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker, The Joy of Cooking, rev. ed. (Scribner, 1997), 789.