Strawberry Shortcake
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoon cold butter, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons decorator sugar (regular sugar works well too)
1 tablespoon buttermilk
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter and cut with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. In the center add the beaten egg and buttermilk. Stir mixture together with a fork until flour is incorporated, take care not to over mix. (I use my hands to gather the dough up and I usually pour in another tablespoon of buttermilk to the bottom of the bowl to get the dry bits mixed in.) Use hands to form dough into a ball and place onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape them into circles and place on a parchment-lined tray. (You could also roll the dough out and cut them into circles, just be sure not to overwork the dough.) Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
Macerated Strawberries
1 quart strawberries
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar
Clean, stem, and slice strawberries. Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle the 1/4 cup of sugar over them. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Stir and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Sometimes I mashed the berries so they are more like a thick sauce to pour over the biscuits. Either way they are terrific.
Assemble
Slice a warm biscuit in half and spoon strawberries over biscuit. Place top of biscuit on berries and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.
