I've got a recipe for something like a clone of Reduced Fat Bisquick (not
sold in the UK).
What would people advise using as the shortening?
Thanks.
Doug
*
6 cups white flour
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 2-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
* 1/3 or 1/2 cup shortening (see Note)
Begin by getting out a very large bowl. Measure the flour into the bowl.
Add the salt and baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients together so that
the salt and baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
Measure in the shortening. Use a standard 1/3 or 1/2-cup measure and pack
it all the way full with shortening. Level off the top with a knife. Now
scrape the fat into the bowl of flour. Your fingers will get greasy.
That's alright, you can wash them in a few minutes. Using your hands,
mash the shortening into the flour. Continue mixing and mashing until the
mixture has a consistency similar to store-bought biscuit mix. Transfer
the mixture to a clean coffee can. This recipe makes 7 cups of mix. Each
serving is 1/3-cup.
NOTE: This biscuit mix can be made with either 1/3-cup or 1/2-cup of
shortening. When made with 1/3-cup shortening it's nutritional
information is almost identical to Reduced-Fat Bisquick®. The quality of
the mix made with 1/3-cup shortening is not quite as good as when it is
made with 1/2-cup shortening. It is still very good though, and I
heartily recommend it to anyone watching both their budget and wasitline.
Average consumers don't have access to the same fat replacers and other
chemicals that food manufacturers do. For this reason the lower fat
version of this recipe gives slightly different results than Reduced-Fat
Bisquick®. The biscuits and muffins made with the 1/3-cup
shortening-version of this mix are a tiny bit tougher than those made with
Reduced-Fat Bisquick®. It is an extremely close copy though, and most
people won't notice any difference in their cooking results.
For those willing to add a few more calories to their biscuit mix, the
version using 1/2-cup of shortening gives superior results. The biscuits
made with this variation are much better those made with the name brand
mix. The final decision is yours. When preparing the recipes on this
website I have used the version made with 1/3-cup of shortening. My
reasoning is that folks who are unwilling to make their own biscuit mix
can buy Reduced-Fat Bisquick® at the store, prepare the recipes they find
here and not worry about getting their hands dirty. The nutritional data
for the recipes prepared with either Reduced-Fat Bisquick® or homemade
baking mix prepared with 1/3-cup shortening is the same. By the way,
preparing your own Reduced-Fat Baking Mix saves at least $2 per batch over
the name-brand mix.
Each serving is 1/3-cup.
--
Doug Weller -- exorcise the demon to reply
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