Having grown up in Maine, the original Bakewell Cream was always a staple item in the pantry. It’s a regional item, made in Maine by the New England Cupboard. It’s also the secret ingredient necessary to make my (nearly) famous Mile-High Biscuits. Well, famous with my family and friends, that is.
The truth is, I use the recipe on the back of the Original Bakewell Cream canister; with one slight alteration, I use real butter in place of the shortening.
How to Make Bakewell Cream Biscuits
Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. A Silpat is not recommended for this recipe because the oven temperature needs to be 475°F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly; larger pea-sized pieces of butter may remain intact. Next, stir in the milk, making sure that everything is moistened. Turn the dough out onto a pastry mat or lightly floured cutting board, and fold it over three times.
Pat it into a ¾”-thick square, rectangle, or circle. Cut the biscuits with a round or square cutter.
The trick to higher rising biscuits is to cut them straight down without twisting the cutter. When you twist, it pinches the dough and prevents it from rising as well during baking.
Place the cut dough on the prepared baking sheet, touching slightly if you want a higher rise. Brush their tops with milk or melted butter, if desired.
Place the tray into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, then turn off the oven. Leave in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.
Bakewell Cream Biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Bakewell Cream*
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pats
1 1/2 cups cold milk
*NOT Bakewell Cream Baking Powder; just plain Bakewell Cream
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly; larger pea-sized pieces of butter may remain intact.
- Stir in the milk, making sure that everything is moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a pastry mat or lightly floured cutting board, and fold it over three times. Pat it into a ¾”-thick square, rectangle, or circle.
- Cut the biscuits with a round or square cutter. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush their tops with milk or melted butter, if desired.
- Place the tray into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, then turn off the oven. Leave in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.
- Remove the tray with biscuits from the oven, and serve warm with butter and honey, jam, or gravy.
Yield: about 1 big (2 1/2- 3″ high) biscuits, or about 32 smaller (1 1/2″) biscuits.
OAMC Freezer Biscuits
If you’d prefer, you can shape the biscuit dough ahead of time, place them on a tray and freeze them. Once frozen, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or vacuum seal them (for longer storage) until you’re ready to bake, and enjoy hot biscuits FAST.
Place unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Wrap them tightly in a plastic bag or vacuum seal them to ensure freshness.
When you’re ready to serve them, preheat the oven to 475°F, and bake the frozen biscuits for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off, and leave them undisturbed in the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes, till they’re golden brown. Do not open the oven door during this time.
Tasty Bakewell Cream Biscuit Variations
What about some tasty variations? For cheese biscuits, mix 1 cup of freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese with the dry ingredients and butter just before adding the milk. To transform the cheese biscuits into copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, combine 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning-finely crushed with 1/4 cup of melted butter.
Bake the cheese biscuits as instructed, then immediately spoon or brush the herbed butter mixture over the hot biscuits while they’re still on the pan. Serve them immediately.
For chocolate chip biscuits, follow the same recipe: add in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with the flour/butter mixture just before adding the milk. Dampen the tops of the raw biscuits with milk, then sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar just prior to baking.
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