Flavored Biscuits

I needed to bake something for a Parent's Association meeting at my daughters pre-school, so decided to bake biscuits.  I haven't made these from scratch in years so thought it was about time, also it's something my four year old could help me with which is always fun.  I got a recipe from E-How for Raisin Biscuits and I adpated a cheese biscuit recipe from Serious Eats.  Please forgive my goofy smart phone pics.  :)

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

things you'll need:

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 3 tbsp. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 Stick Softened Butter
• 2/3 cup butter milk
• 1/4 cup Raisins
• powdered sugar for dusting

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

MIX ALL OF THE DRY INGREDIENTS FOR THE BISCUITS IN A MEDIUM RELATIVELY FLAT BOWL. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt.

•  
  CUT THE BUTTER INTO THE FLOUR MIXTURE USING A FORK OR PASTRY BLENDER.
  This step is done when it is the consistency of coarse crumbs.
•  
  STIR THE RAISINS INTO THE DRY BISCUIT MIXTURE AND ADD THE MILK.
  1/4 cup raisins is usually sufficient. 2/3 cup milk should make the dough moist.
•  
  TURN THE DOUGH ONTO A FLOURED SURFACE.
  With highly floured hands fold the dough five or six times. Pat into a half inch thick circle.

• USE A FLOURED BISCUIT CUTTER TO CUT BISCUITS.

    PLACE BISCUITS ON BAKING SHEET LINED WITH PARCHMENT PAPER AND PLACE IN THE OVEN FOR 10-12 MINS. 

• sprinkle biscuits with powdered sugar.  SERVE WARM.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the dough as moist as possible for the best biscuits
• Every edge of the biscuit should be cut to help it rise correctly.

Parmesan Herb Biscuits

Makes 18 medium biscuits, active time 25 minutes, total time 45 minutes 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, fresh grated not canned
• 1/4 cupchopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme and rosemary)
• 1 cup butter milk

Procedures

1. 
   Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. In a medium bowl. combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, Whisk to combine. Cut the butter into several pieces and add it to the flour, With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until you have very small pieces throughout. Add the cheese and herbs, and stir to distribute. Add the milk and stir to combine.
   
2. 
   Flour your work surface lightly. Remove the dough from the bowl, put it on your floured surface, and pat it into a rough square about 9 inches across. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, pat it down again until it's about an inch thick, turn it 90°F, and fold in thirds again.
   
3. 
   

   

   Dust your work surface with flour again, if needed, and roll the dough to a thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inches. Using a biscuit cutter or other similar tool, cut circles from the dough and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
   
4. 
   

   Re-roll the scraps. You'll get a better rise out of the next batch of biscuits if you keep the dough oriented the same way instead of rolling it up or smashing it together. The folding in the previous steps has created horizontal layers that cause the biscuits to rise, just like the layers in pastry crust or puff pastry. So, when you combine the scraps, keep the horizontal layers horizontal as much as possible. Cut more biscuit from the rerolled biscuit dough. If you don't want to end up with even more scraps, consider cutting the second batch into squares instead of rounds.
5. 
   Rather than rolling the scraps a third time, you can make a few hand-formed biscuits from whatever is left after the second batch is cut They won't be pretty, but they're fine as samples for the cook.
   
6. 
   

   Brush the tops of the biscuits with butter milk or melted butter, if desired, and bake at 400°F until lightly browned, about 20 minutes

My Final Products: I used a scalloped biscuit cutter for both.  I think they looked nice this way.  Next time I might roll them a little thicker and cook them for a few minutes less.  They over cooked a little, but tasted delicious.