Mrs. Helmkay's Baking Powder Biscuits

This may not come as a surprise to any of you but my favourite subject in high school was Foods and Nutrition.  I took a Foods class for every year that I was in high school - I got good grades but more importantly, I got to cook almost every day.  I learned a great deal from our amazing cooking teacher, Mrs. Helmkay.  She was a warm and wonderful woman with a slight accent and a heart of gold.  She taught us about making meals on a budget, balancing our plates nutritionally, all while developing my love for being in the kitchen.  

We didn't get to cook every day so on those non-cooking days, we would harass Mrs. Helmkay into letting us make baking powder biscuits.  We would have contests to see who could get their biscuits in the oven the quickest.  Our reward was warm, fluffy biscuits, swimming in butter.  A recent craving for Mo's Biscuits from my favorite breakfast restaurant in Victoria led me to pull out this recipe and whip up a batch for breakfast. I'm pleased to say that it only took me 10 minutes to get these babies into the oven - and YUM, they were worth the little bit of effort on a Sunday morning!  They go equally great with scrambled eggs or on the side of a bowl of soup.  Try some today - I promise that you won't be disappointed.  P.S. Serve them hot from the oven so that the butter soaks in nicely.  

Tea Biscuits (adapted from my Life Skills 8 class)

500 ml flour

20 ml baking powder

5 ml salt

75 ml butter or shortening

250 ml milk

1. Sift all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Cut butter/shortening into flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Make a well in the centre.

4. Pour in the milk, all at once.  With a fork, stir quickly around the bowl until the dough is just moist enough to leave the sides.

5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead gently for 10-12 times.  Form into a ball.

6. Roll out to about 1/2-3/4 inch.  

7. With a floured biscuit cutter, cut straight into the dough.  Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet.  

8. Brush tops of biscuits with milk.

9. Bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes (or until a light golden brown). Serve with butter and honey, jam, or jelly.