By fifth grade, I’d taken to pocketing my lunch money and starving through the day so I could afford to spend the afternoons in the air-conditioned luxury of the local KFC and postpone the sweltering walk home. I’d buy a biscuit, fashion a “free” lemonade (1 cup ice water, 2 packets lemon juice, 27 or so sugar packets), swing my Capezios up onto the banquette of a comfy booth, and bask in my own genius. I don’t know that the eventual walk was any better, but I do know I started a trend among other ponytailed rebels. With the biscuit bar set pretty high and KFC no longer an option or a preference, I assigned myself the challenge of bettering it with my allergy-friendly pantry. It’s not uncommon these days for people to taste the biscuits at BabyCakes NYC and say, “These are better than KFC!”—and when they do, I execute a victory pirouette and shotgun a frosty glass of agave lemonade (page 133).

　　

Ingredients

makes 8

　　2 cups white spelt flour, plus more for dusting

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

　　1/3 cup coconut oil, plus more for brushing

　　3/4 cup hot water

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the oil and hot water into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until fully combined and a dough is formed. If the batter is dry, add more hot water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough is sticky.

　　

Step 3

Dust the counter with spelt flour. Place the dough on the prepared surface and drag it through the flour. Pat the dough gently until it is 1 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between the biscuits so they can spread. Brush each with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake the biscuits on the center rack for 8 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees after 4 minutes. The finished biscuits will have a golden, flaky crust.

　　

Step 4

Let the biscuits stand on the sheet for 5 minutes before serving. Cool completely and store in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days.

　　From Babycakes by Erin McKenna, (C) 2009 Clarkson Potter