Biscuits!

 

January 31, 2016

 

 

I didn't grow up eating biscuits as my daily bread. But when I married a man from

 

Tennessee, I fell down the rabbit hole of the biscuit mystique. Nowadays I don't

 

make them as often as I crave them, but when I do make them, everyone is happy.

 

Depending on the proportions of the ingredients, the thickness of the rolling, and

 

the diameter of the cutter, a biscuit can be one of those fat, heavy "cat's head"

 

things or a tiny , flaky mouthful. As you might have been able to guess, I'm all about

 

thin, flaky and melt-in-your-mouth. But if fat and heavy is what you like, you can

 

adjust this recipe to achieve it.

 

Basic Biscuit Recipe

 

2 c. flour*

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda**

3/4 tsp. salt

2 to 7 tbsp cold fat*** (lard, butter, or non-hydrogenated shortening)

3/4 c. liquid: buttermilk, yogurt thinned with milk, sour milk, or milk

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add the fat, then cut it into the flour using a pastry blender, two knives, or your

 

fingers, smushing the fat and flour  until the mixture has the consistency of coarse

 

cornmeal.

 

You can prepare the biscuits ahead to this point, even as far ahead as the night

 

before (refrigerate the bowl in warm weather or to keep for more than an hour or

 

two).

 

Add the liquid all at once and stir with a fork in one direction until the dough follows

 

the fork around the bowl. Turn the dough onto a floured board and pull it together

 

with your hands or with a pastry scraper, then knead it lightly**** half a dozen

 

times.

 

Keeping the board sprinkled with flour, roll out the dough to a scant half an inch*****

 

thickness, cut out biscuits with a cutter or even a drinking glass with a thin edge,

 

and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. (For my preferred one-bite biscuits, I

 

use a one and a half inch cutter.) Bake in the 400 degree oven for 15 to 17 minutes,

 

or until golden brown.

 

Serve immediately. As my Southern friend Rinky used to say: "Take two and butter

 

'em while they're hot!"

 

*All-purpose flour is the usual flour, but with whole wheat flour you can deceive

 

yourself into thinking they have a bit of nutritional value. Spelt flour, which contains

 

less gluten than wheat flour, is a good compromise for wheat-sensitive bodies. A

 

commercial GF mix will work, but it won't (obviously) have that desirable wheat hit.

 

**If you plan to make your biscuit dough with plain (sweet) milk, then omit the

 

baking soda. Use the soda when  your liquid will be buttermilk, thinned yogurt, or

 

some other form of soured milk

 

***The amount of fat you use will determine the tenderness of the biscuit. The

 

highest amount gives a biscuit almost as tender and flaky as pie crust. If you're

 

looking for a breadier biscuit, then use 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat.

 

****Lightness is the key when it comes to biscuits. Don't manhandle your biscuit

 

dough.

 

*****If you like the cat's head style of biscuit, then pat it to a thickness of 1 1/2 to 2

 

inches, cut it with a three-inch cutter, and allow a longer baking time--say, 20 to 25

 

minutes at 375 degrees.

 

When you have finished your eggs and potatoes and bacon and a biscuit or two,

 

then butter that last biscuit and add a dollop of, say, lemon marmalade. Dessert.