Everyone loves a good biscuit, even making some can be fun. In Mrs. Pizzo’s Culinary Arts 1, students go through the process of making the biscuits and as well some important kitchen safety precautions.

Each member in a team has a job, head chief, co-chief and dishwasher/cleaner. The day before they started their lab, six groups went through and answered some workspace safety questions. 

Some of the questions included:

1. Why should restaurant food service employees not wear loose or baggy pants? (because it can get caught on machinery or get caught on fire.)

2. Describe the three common fire detection devices. (smoke detector, heat detector and flame detector.)

3. What is the proper procedure for cleaning up a spill? (to block the area, post a caution wet floor sign, and direct people around the spill.)

After each team was done, Mrs. Pizzo went over the ingredients to make the biscuits: 

2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into tablespoons and 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold (or milk plus 1 tsp of lemon juice; allow to sit for 5 minutes before using).

Once the ingredients were discussed, then they went over the instructions.

First, in a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until pea size pieces. Add the cold buttermilk all at once and form into a ball. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface, into a 6×9-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into thirds. Stack each third on top of one another and roll the dough into a 6×9-inch rectangle again. 

Using a 2¼ or 2½-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut 9 (maybe 10) biscuits and place them on a silicone lined baking sheet. Do your best to piece together the scraps and use up all the dough with the layering technique, without overworking the dough or melting the butter with your warm hands. 

(If any of the edges kind of stick down, stretch them before baking to help make sure they will grow tall and flaky.) Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom.

“I love to be involved in the process and help the kids instead of leaving them to do it on their own,” Mrs. Pizzo said.

When teachers are involved, it definitely can help instead of the students just trying to do it themselves. Then they actually learn and get something from the class and all students need to learn how to cook and bake in real everyday life.                                                                                                        

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