This recipe and more can be found in "Entertaining at the College of Charleston (1998)" by Zoe Sanders
Zoe Sanders and her husband, Alex Sanders (19th president of the College of Charleston from 1992-2001) demonstrate how to make college biscuits. Zoe learned this recipe when she was working at Trinity Cathedral and in this video, she demonstrates the process of mixing and cutting the biscuits. She urges the baker to handle the dough as little as possible for the flakiest biscuits.
Ingredients
2 cups self-rising flour
additional flour for dusting the rolling pin, board, biscuit cutter and hands
pastry cutter (optional)
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
¾ cup (or 4 rounded tablespoons) of butter flavored shortening such as Crisco
¾ cup of buttermilk
½ cup (2 ounces) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
vegetable spray or shortening for greasing the baking tray
2-inch or 1 ½ inch biscuit cutters
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F degrees. Mix flour and sugar. Divide shortening into 4 parts on top of flour mixture and cut into flour until size of large pea. Zoe demonstrates using 2 knives to cut the shortening into the flour but switches to a pastry cutter which she likes better. Mix in cheese (optional). Pour in buttermilk and stir with large spoon until well blended. The more you stir with the spoon, the less you have to touch the dough. Stir until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Lightly flour board, your hands, and rolling pin. Scoop out half the dough with a spoon and gently make a ball using your fingers as much as possible instead of the palms of your hands. Place dough on board and pat one time to make a flat place to start rolling pin. Lightly roll dough from center out until about ½ inch thick. The lighter the stroke, the butter. Cut biscuits, dipping cutter into flour each time.
You can make the biscuits, bake them for five minutes until the tops get brown, cool them, then freeze them. When you want to bake them, thereafter, let them come to room temperature and then bake them for the last 5 minutes.
Lightly grease the baking sheet. For cocktail biscuits use a smaller cutter and for dinner, use a larger one. Use your fingertips to lightly form dough into ball. Gently pat and roll dough from ½ to ¾ inch thickness. Cut biscuits and place on tray about ½ inch apart. For scraps, lightly pat together and roll out, cut, place on tray. Bake biscuits for 10 minutes or lightly browned.
For more recipes like the one above, visit SCETV Food.
