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3 3/4 c Unbleached A-P flour
1 1/2 c Masa harina de maiz
2 tb Plus 1 ts baking powder
1 t Salt
4 oz Unsalted butter, well-chill
-cut into small pieces
1/2 c Solid vegetable shortening,
-well-chilled, cut into
-small pieces
2 c Cultured buttermilk,chilled
Position racks in the upper and middle thirds of the
oven and preheat the oven to 450F.
In a large bowl, stir together 3 1/2 cups of the
flour, the masa, baking powder, and salt. With a
pastry cutter, blend in the butter and shortening
until the mixture resembles a coarse and slightly
lumpy meal. Stir in the buttermilk until a soft,
crumbly dough is formed. Sprinkle the work surface
with half of the remaining flour. Turn the dough out,
gather it into a ball, and briefly knead it, just
until it holds together. Flatten the dough, sprinkle
it with the rest of the flour, and roll it out about
1-inch thick. With a round 3-inch cutter, form the
biscuits, transferrring them to 2 ungreased baking
sheets and spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gather
the scraps into a ball, roll it out to 1-inch thick,
and cut out the remaining biscuits.
Set the baking sheets on the racks and bake about 15
minutes, exchanging the position of the sheets on the
racks from top to bottom and from front to back at the
halfway point, or until the biscuits are golden and
crisp. Serve hot or warm.
Note: masa is NOT the same thing as cornmeal. Stores
catering to Hispanic population will have masa. Since
masa contains no gluten, these biscuits are especially
tender.
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