In so many shortcake recipes, the biscuit seems to a play a supporting role, there just to soak up the juices from the berries and as a place to plop the cream. But I’m a pastry chef, and in my shortcake recipes, the biscuit is the star. In fact, I often make a couple of the following recipes to serve on their own as scones.

我的饼干如此出色的部分原因是很好的技术，我将分享一秒钟，但这也是因为我已经爵士爵士traditional recipewith new flavors. In addition to the buttery classic, I make alemon-poppyseed biscuit—great with mixed berries—and a deep, dark巧克力饼干. Cocoa and semisweet chocolate give this version an intense flavor close to that of a brownie, but with a light, flaky texture.

Tips for tender biscuits, juicy berries, and billowy cream

我指望三件事是制造出色的饼干。首先是在混合前筛面粉。这会减轻干燥成分，并最终使饼干具有细腻，精致betway电子竞技俱乐部的质地。我还在饼干中使用奶油来增加其风味和质地。奶油中的脂肪（和黄油中的脂肪）具有缩短作用，可抑制面筋发育并保持面团嫩。与大多数糕点一样，我尽可能少地将面团锻炼以防止它变得坚硬。这意味着要揉面团，直到合并但仍然有些蓬松。

Whether you get your strawberries from the grocery store, the farmers’ market, or the local pick-your-own place, you’ll need to toss them in sugar before you fill your shortcakes. The sugar sweetens them, of course, but—more important—it gets the berries’ juices flowing and softens their texture so that they’ll settle nicely into the biscuit and make the whole dish feel well integrated.

为了搅打奶油，我使用两个步骤的过程来获得我想要的柔软质地。首先，我用电动搅拌机将其鞭打，直到可见搅拌器的标记为止。然后，我用搅拌器手工完成鞭打，这使我有更多的控制权，从而减少了倒下的机会。如果您要过奶油，请只添加更多奶油，然后搅拌直至变软。

4 steps to tender biscuits

Make-ahead tips

For the biscuits:I prefer to serve the biscuits warm—not hot—from the oven, but you can make them several hours in advance. (You can even bake the biscuits a day ahead, or freeze them for up to three months, although their texture will suffer slightly.) Just before serving, reheat the prepared biscuits in a 200° oven until warmed through.

For the berries:You can slice the berries hours ahead of time and refrigerate them. Half an hour before assembling the shortcakes, toss the berries with the sugar and let them sit at room temperature.

For the whipped cream:Under-whip your cream and refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve. Then use a whisk to finish whipping.