Beaten biscuits have long been a staple of the southern pantry. They are rather flat and colorless, unlike most biscuits, but are absolutely delicious split and filled with a bit of Smithfield ham and your favorite spicy mustard. My grandmother's recipe for these biscuits called for them to be beaten on a stump, with an ax handle, for about an hour. You will find the food processor method much easier.

2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
3/4 c. cold milk

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Process this mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the cold milk through the top of the machine, and continue processing for 2 full minutes.

After this, the biscuit dough should have formed a large ball and it will appear quite glossy. Remove from the processor and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and fold the dough over upon itself to form a 1/2 inch thickness.

Using a 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, begin cutting out biscuits, placing the cutter in a bit of flour before you cut each biscuit. Place the biscuits in tin pie plates (or a cookie sheet) with sides touching. Prick the top of each biscuit with the tines of a fork. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 25 minutes. After baking, the biscuits will appear light in color. If you wish them to be golden brown, brush the tops with a bit of milk before they are baked. Makes about 2 dozen biscuits. These biscuits keep exceptionally well.

Beaten Biscuits Suggestions:

The dough can be kept for two days if put in a tightly covered jar and kept on ice or in a cool place. Roll from 150 to 200 times through the kneader. Bake from twenty to twenty-five minutes in a hot oven. If the stove is hot enough to blister them before they are baked, place a bread-pan on the upper grating. Many of the best housekeepers prefer the old way of stretching the biscuits out by hand rather than using a biscuit cutter.