Recipe Revisited: Strawberry Shortcakes

Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated with CSA Share Strawberries.

 
I’ve shared this recipe before.  I had a little trouble then with the shortcakes.  This time they came out great.  I didn’t try to make them round by using a biscuit cutter.  Step 4 calls for patting the dough into a rectangle.  At that stage I cut the rectangle into 8 pieces.  It was the perfect size for a serving of Strawberry Shortcake.  The original recipe calls for combining the strawberries with sugar.  We prefer them fresh and without the resulting syrup.  This posting I’ve also added a printable version of the shortcake recipe.
 
Shortcakes
From Baking Illustrated
 
Printable Version
 
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5 T sugar
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
8 T (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ cup plus 1 T half and half or whole milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
 

1. For the Shortcakes: Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the over to 425 degrees.  In a food processor, pulse the flour, 3 T of sugar, the baking powder, and salt to combine.  Scatter the butter pieces over and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 one second pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Mix the beaten egg with the half and half in a measuring cup.  Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.  Combine with a rubber spatula until large clumps form.  Turn the mixture onto a floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.
3. Use your fingertips to pat the dough into a 9x6 rectangle about ¾ inch thick, being careful not to overwork the dough.  Flour a 2 ¾ inch biscuit cutter and cut out 6 rounds (You can use the scraps to cut out 1 or 2 more rounds).  Place the rounds 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet, brush the tops with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 T sugar.  (Dough rounds can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.)
4. Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown, 12 – 14 minutes.  Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool the cakes until warm, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!