In the biscuit method, which step describes how the fat interacts with the dry ingredients?

• A. Whisking into liquids
• B. Liquid ingredients added first
• C. Mixing fat with dry ingredients
• D. Creaming fat with sugar

Answer: (C)

In the biscuit method, the key step is to work cold fat into the dry ingredients. You cut the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with small pea-sized bits of fat still intact. Those fat pieces coat the flour and stay dispersed, so as the dough bakes the fat melts and creates steam that lifts and separates the layers, giving light, flaky biscuits. Liquid ingredients come in after this fat-dry mix is prepared, just enough to bring the dough together without overworking the gluten. Techniques like creaming fat with sugar or whisking fat into liquids belong to other methods aimed at different textures, so they don’t describe how fat interacts with dry ingredients in the biscuit method.