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omorkaPreheat oven to 425° F.
1 c unbleached all-purpose or pastry flour (not cake flour!)*
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 T sugar
Stir together with a fork until combined. Add
1/4 c (half of 1 standard stick) butter, softened
cut into several pieces. Blend using a long-tined fork, two knives, or a pastry cutter (best), cutting the fat into the flour until the pieces are the size of dry oatmeal. Stir in
1/4 c milk
with a fork, until it makes a soft dough; knead three or four times in the bowl with your (clean, natch) hands to make sure flour is completely combined and dough hangs together in a single mass. Divide into four equal portions and pat each down until it is roughly 1/2" thick. Place four portions together in a non-stick pan with a rim (you can use an 8"x8" pan, or whatever size you have on hand; do not grease the pan), so that they are just barely touching, and bake for 15-20 min, until the tops are light brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, until warm but not hot. Split each shortcake open horizontally and fill with sweetened fresh fruit - sliced peaches, halved strawberries, mixed berries, etc. - and whipped cream**. Makes 4 small servings, or 2 large ones; recipe can be doubled.
--
This is the original "shortcake" in "strawberry shortcake." If you make it with those little sponge-cake things, more power to you, but just bear in mind that you will confuse the heck out of those of us who still make the original, as this, being a biscuit derivative, really is a shortening-bread, while sponge cake generally isn't, using either vegetable oil or relying solely on the fat in the egg yolks.
Yes, I know some people use egg in their shortbread recipe. I consider this a Georgia affectation; I'm sure they consider mine a homely little Gulf-Central hick thing. I kinda like it crumbly; the egg version doesn't sop up the berry juice correctly, but that's just my thing. Yes, I am also aware that some parts of the coastal South historically used rounds of unfilled pie-crust in their strawberry shortcake. As that's also technically a shortening-bread, just an unleavened one, I don't have a problem with that, although again I prefer mine.
* If you live where the all-purpose flour is hard enough to bake high-rising bread with, without adding any bread flour or gluten, then you probably want to use pastry flour or half a cup of each.
** If you add a shot of brandy, rum, or vodka to the fruit, I certainly won't tell anyone. I like a pinch of sugar and a dash of vanilla in my whipped cream, but I'd never say you were wrong if you used lemon or orange extract instead, or left out the sugar.
1 c unbleached all-purpose or pastry flour (not cake flour!)*
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 T sugar
Stir together with a fork until combined. Add
1/4 c (half of 1 standard stick) butter, softened
cut into several pieces. Blend using a long-tined fork, two knives, or a pastry cutter (best), cutting the fat into the flour until the pieces are the size of dry oatmeal. Stir in
1/4 c milk
with a fork, until it makes a soft dough; knead three or four times in the bowl with your (clean, natch) hands to make sure flour is completely combined and dough hangs together in a single mass. Divide into four equal portions and pat each down until it is roughly 1/2" thick. Place four portions together in a non-stick pan with a rim (you can use an 8"x8" pan, or whatever size you have on hand; do not grease the pan), so that they are just barely touching, and bake for 15-20 min, until the tops are light brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, until warm but not hot. Split each shortcake open horizontally and fill with sweetened fresh fruit - sliced peaches, halved strawberries, mixed berries, etc. - and whipped cream**. Makes 4 small servings, or 2 large ones; recipe can be doubled.
--
This is the original "shortcake" in "strawberry shortcake." If you make it with those little sponge-cake things, more power to you, but just bear in mind that you will confuse the heck out of those of us who still make the original, as this, being a biscuit derivative, really is a shortening-bread, while sponge cake generally isn't, using either vegetable oil or relying solely on the fat in the egg yolks.
Yes, I know some people use egg in their shortbread recipe. I consider this a Georgia affectation; I'm sure they consider mine a homely little Gulf-Central hick thing. I kinda like it crumbly; the egg version doesn't sop up the berry juice correctly, but that's just my thing. Yes, I am also aware that some parts of the coastal South historically used rounds of unfilled pie-crust in their strawberry shortcake. As that's also technically a shortening-bread, just an unleavened one, I don't have a problem with that, although again I prefer mine.
* If you live where the all-purpose flour is hard enough to bake high-rising bread with, without adding any bread flour or gluten, then you probably want to use pastry flour or half a cup of each.
** If you add a shot of brandy, rum, or vodka to the fruit, I certainly won't tell anyone. I like a pinch of sugar and a dash of vanilla in my whipped cream, but I'd never say you were wrong if you used lemon or orange extract instead, or left out the sugar.
