I’m in a Sunday School Class called Saints and Sinners and for many folks the recipe I’m about to share here will toss me squarely in one category or the other. If you know what a beaten biscuit is, you’re either from the South, have southern friends who are proud to share their cuisine, or you like to read about food. A beaten biscuit is a small hard biscuit that should ideally be a vessel for some really yummy country ham or maybe just a bit of butter. It’s kind of amusing to read a Wikipedia definition suggesting that beaten biscuits may be used to “sop up” syrup or gravy. Anyone who has had a beaten biscuit knows there is no sopping to be done. You might use one to take out an enemy with a well-aimed throw – that’s probably a better definition of the consistency.
I grew up in a family that made beaten biscuits with a unique piece of machinery called a beaten biscuit press. In modern speak I can most easily compare it to a very large pasta roller. My grandmother and my mom “trained” me in its proper use and, owning my Grandmother’s original press, I’ve been able to turn out beaten biscuits to be proud of for several years. The problem is that it’s quite a project. The press is not small and has to be assembled and attached to something (my husband built a special table for it). The dough takes a long time to roll through the press, and reach the right consistency. Finally you cut out the biscuits, bake the biscuits, and get the press clean and stored again. This means that MAKING BEATEN BISCUITS is more of an EVENT than a process.
Last weekend at about 1:00 pm on Derby Day I decided I’d like a beaten biscuit while watching the race. After a few minutes of unhealthy obsession, I began pondering an easier way to make beaten biscuits. An online search revealed that indeed some people had attempted to create the dough (I’m almost afraid to print this) in the food processor. None of the recipes I saw were even vaguely correct as defined by the VERY strict one I grew up with. This is important, whole family reputations have been ruined by an added ingredient leading to an unacceptable beaten biscuit. And this is where I could be in trouble - besides the whole food processor debacle of course - I substituted butter for the shortening. There, I’ve said it. I made beaten biscuits with butter…. in a food processor….and it worked! I’ve had a week to play around with the recipe, get a few tasters involved and finally its down to the wire: I’m débuting beaten biscuits, made in the food processor for a Steeplechase picnic. This is really quite amazing. It means that the average person who can read and owns a food processor can have his or her own beaten biscuits. What would my grandmother say? I think she’d be proud of me. Why not let the world enjoy this delicious Southern delicacy? Go ahead and give it a shot – bet you’ll love making your own beaten biscuits!
Here’s a special Happy Mother’s Day salute to all the moms who pass on great family traditions in the kitchen and in life.
Beaten Biscuits in the Food Processor
Ingredients
2 cups flour
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, cut in several pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup half & half
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients but half & half in the food processor, pulsing to combine.
Add half & half starting with 1/3 of a cup and adding more as necessary until dough comes together.
Process dough for about 2 minutes. The dough should be elastic and slightly shiny.
On waxed paper roll out dough to about ½ an inch thick. Fold dough over and roll again. Do this 5 more times to help create the layers that make the biscuits split apart easily.
Cut out small biscuits. If you don’t happen to have an antique biscuit cutter the proper size, a jigger is a nice substitute.
Put biscuits close together on a large baking sheet and pierce each one 3 times with a fork.
Put biscuits in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes until bottoms start to brown.
Lower temperature to 250 degrees and let biscuits cook for 20 more minutes.
Turn off the oven and crack the door open.
Allow biscuits to cool in the oven.
Makes 30 to 40 depending on the size of your biscuit cutter.
We like to serve them with what my son calls, “Southern Spam” which is well cooked country ham blended with butter. No one said this had to be health food.
