Shirley always uses her hands to shape the dough for strawberry shortcake. “The biscuits seem to come out lighter this way than by rolling because you don’t have to use extra flour, which can toughen them.” When whipping cream for the topping, she adds about a teaspoonful of unflavored gelatin to keep the cream from “weeping” after its whipped and to help it hold its consistency.
Yield:
Serves 6Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup light cream
4 cups sliced strawberries, sugared
1 cup whipping cream
Instructions
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together; cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Combine egg and cream; add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to moisten flour mixture. Turn dough out on a lightly floured board and knead gently for 30 seconds. Pat with hand to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut 6 biscuits with floured 2-1/2-inch cutter. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 450 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Split biscuits while still warm and spread with butter. Pile strawberries on bottom half; add top half and spoon whipped cream over shortcake. Place a whole berry in center of cream for garnish.
