Bakery -- Shortcakes (Biscuits For Strawberry Or Peach Shortcakes)
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 9:58 am

DESCRIPTION
Bakery -- Shortcakes (Biscuits for Strawberry or Peach Shortcakes)

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
In the South, fruit shortcakes are frequently made with sweetened biscuits. The cold biscuit is split in half and filled (and topped) with fresh, uncooked fruit (such as strawberries, peaches, blackberries) then topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Note: Since this is a sweetened biscuit, I use sweet milk instead of buttermilk. That's a personal preference, you can use buttermilk if you prefer.

Here is one way to make a traditional Shortcake Biscuit...

2 cups Southern Baking Mix
OR
2 cups Self-Rising Flour with 6 Tablespoons butter
OR
2 cups regular Southern-style Flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt and 6 Tablespoons butter
OR
1 & 1/2 cups Regular All-purpose Flour with 1/2 cup Cake or Pastry Flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of salt with 6 Tablespoons of butter

1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup sweet milk (may need a little extra)
Additional Butter for centers and topping

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a cookie/baking sheet.

If using one of the flour & butter options -- blend dry ingredients together then blend the butter into the flour with your fingers, 2 knives or a pastry blender until well-blended and the mixture is the consistency of coarse cornmeal.

Then add sugar and mix well. Make a well in the center and all at once add the milk. (You may need a little more than the 2/3 cup).

Quickly stir together until a rough dough ball is formed. On a floured surface gentle press the dough together until a good dough is formed. It shouldn't take more than a dozen 'light presses' for this to occur. (I don't like to use the work 'knead' when making biscuits -- kneading is too violent for the tender care biscuit dough needs.)

On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut into two diffrent sized rounds -- the larger round (the 'bottom') should be around 2 & 3/4 inch, the smaller round (the 'top' should be around 2 & 1/4 inch. (Approximately). Make sure you have matched sets of rounds!

Place a large round on the cookie sheet. Place a thin pat of butter on the middle of the round. Top with a smaller round. Continue until all shortcakes are formed. Brush tops of shortcakes with melted butter. Sprinkle tops with granulated sugar.

Bake 9 - 11 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.

Cool on a wire rack. To serve, split shortcake at the 'seam', fill with fresh sweetened fruit and its natural syrup.