ANGEL BISCUITS

These have the light texture of a yeast bread but are as easy to bake as a quick bread.

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey

2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sweet butter COLD
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening COLD
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the 1/2 teasoon sugar or honey. Let it sit until bubbly.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, tablespoon sugar and salt. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry blender or two knives. Mix the milk and yeast mixture together, then add to the flour. Toss with a fork, then turn out onto a floured board, gather together with your hands and knead gently a few times.

With a floured rolling pin roll out the dough 1/3 inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter dipped in flour and remove the rounds with a spatula to a greased baking sheet. Gather up the scraps of dough on the board, roll out again and cut more biscuits. Let the biscuits rise, lightly covered, about an hour (or longer in the refrigerator).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake about 10 minutes. Serve hot. This makes about sixteen 2 1/2-inch biscuits.