biscuits Archives

Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!

By threejamigos | March 25, 2023 | Comments 1 comment

Bleary-eyed, I arrived home at 6:15 AM after dropping off Jamie at the airport at 5 AM. I actually live only 10 minutes from the airport. Are you wondering is California traffic that bad? A protracted goodbye with the kid? A flat tire?

NOPE

Being very nice, enabling parents, we offered to drop her off for her flight and return the rental car. The plan went smoothly, I dropped her off curbside and headed to the car rental lot to pick up the Hubster. As soon as I entered the return lot a voice in my sleep-deprived brain said…hmmm, is this a good idea? Apparently not. The parking guys that man the exit booth do not arrive until 6 AM. I guess it stands to reason if you are dropping off a rental car, you are probably catching a flight. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. So we sat in the car for 50 minutes, the Hubster occasionally looking over at me and shaking his head while playing Spelling Bee. I ignored him.

By the time we got home, I was wide awake. I might as well bake, I deserve a morning treat (ok, not really). A recent article by my fav NYT cooking columnist, Eric Kim, highlighted (glowingly) the Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits from Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine. I LOVE biscuits and a recommendation from Eric…turn on the oven now, please.

These biscuits are sweeter than most biscuits. They have a crunchy exterior due to the high sugar content and yet are still flaky and tender inside. This makes them sturdy enough for biscuit sandwiches, think ham or fried chicken.

First, grate cold butter and lightly blend it with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This eliminates cutting the butter into the flour step. By grating the butter you have strands of butter that help create those flaky layers.

Let’s Skip to the Good Part

Pour the crumbly mass of butter and flour onto your counter. Take out your bench scraper and push your dough mass together and gently press down to compress, you want to roll or pat the dough into a rectangle.

Fold one half over on top of the other half using the bench scraper, gather the escaped bits, and press them into the dough. Then roll the dough out again into a rectangle. Repeat the process a total of 5 times, rotating your dough ninety degrees each time. The dough will come together and be less crumbly. This is the process of lamination, creating layers of butter and flour in pursuit of flakiness.

With the last fold, shape the dough into a square. Use your bench scraper to cut the dough in thirds both lengthwise and crosswise yielding 9 squares. Cut straight down without sawing through the dough. Sawing would smoosh the layers creating an uneven rise while baking.

Next time I will trim the outside of the dough to help with an even rise.

Flaky, crispy, buttery, and sweet. Brush the biscuits with butter and sprinkle them with Maldon salt or any coarse finishing salt you like to highlight the sweet-salty vibe. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits

Course Biscuits and scones, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Ingredients

1 cup cold unsalted butter 227 grams
3⅓ cups all-purpose flour 425 grams plus more for rolling
½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
1 tablespoon baking powder
2½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
1¼ cups cold buttermilk 300 grams
Melted butter and flaky sea salt both optional, for finishing

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.
Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.
Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
Fold the dough in half: Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as
Build the final layer: Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.
Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into
the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides.
Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using

Anzac-ly The Delicious Biscuit (Cookie) I Was Looking For

By threejamigos | March 17, 2022 | Comments 1 comment

Marching orders in hand, I gathered the ingredients to make Anzac Biscuits. Think Oatmeal Cookie meets Oatcake or Granola Bar…you end up with a biscuit (cookie) that is buttery, sweet-salty, chewy-crispy (are these oxymorons?), and EXTREMELY delicious.

A Brief History On Anzac Biscuits

These tasty biscuits (cookies) can be traced back to World War One and the Australian-New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). As the story goes, moms and wives sent these biscuits to their soldiers fighting, both as a morale booster and reprieve from the dreary military rations. Made simply of flour, coconut, oatmeal, Golden Syrup, butter, they were easy to make and tasty. The end product was a caramel-ly sturdy biscuit that traveled well and lasted a long time. A welcomed treat from home.

Simplicity At Its Finest

Put this biscuit recipe in your incredibly easy with huge returns file. Very easy and perfect for little hands helping in the kitchen. Stir the dry ingredients together in a big bowl (kids love doing this), melt butter with the Golden Syrup on the stove (you do this), add the baking soda mixture to the butter (once again, your job) and add to dry ingredients (kids love to stir and make a mess). Scoop, bake, and eat! Easy-peasy.

Tweaks

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s (Goddess of Baking) book, Dorie’s Cookies.

I used a one-eighth cup to portion the dough (could not find my scoop of this size 🤔) which produced cookies a little over 2 inches in diameter. Use either a #24 or #30 ice cream scoop for bigger biscuits, I would. They’re that good.

Press the dough into a puck-like disc on the baking sheet. Gives the biscuits a running start to a nice even shape.

If I had baked these cookies for 17-18 minutes, as directed, I’d have lumps of coal for all those naughty kids at Christmas. The first batch baked for 14 minutes at 325 degrees, which produced deep golden brown cookies with dark edges. The second batch baked at 320 degrees for 13 minutes. The biscuits were deep brown, carrot cake color without the dark edges. If you like a chewier, lighter-colored cookie, reduce the baking time, personally not recommended. If you make larger cookies, adjust baking times accordingly.

Subbing honey or corn syrup for Lyle’s Golden Syrup can be done in a pinch. But if you can, please try to use Lyle’s Golden Syrup. It is made from sugar cane and has a nuanced caramel flavor you won’t get with honey or corn syrup. Lots of larger grocery stores carry Lyle’s or you can order it on Big Bad Amazon. Don’t confuse their Dessert Syrup for the Original Cane Syrup, that’s like Log Cabin to real Maple Syrup.

These biscuits are incredibly tasty and easy to make, put them on your “biscuit” bucket list.

P.S.

Not all these biscuits came out perfectly round as pictured, lol. As soon as they came out of the oven, I placed a glass over the not-so-round ones and swirled it in a circular motion thereby jostling the cookies into perfect rounds. Tricks of the trade, babee.

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5 from 2 votes

ANZAC Biscuits

Iconic Austrailian-New Zealand Biscuit (cookie) created during WW1, recipe adapted from Dorie's Cookies

Course biscuits, cookies

Cuisine Australian

Keyword Anzac Biscuits, Anzacs, Dorie Greenspan, Lyle's Golden Syrup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 cup AP flour 136 grams
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 80 grams
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut 90 grams
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
1/4 cup light brown sugar or additional granulated sugar 50gms * Not in Dorie's recipe! Add if using unsweetened coconut, omit if you like,

Wet Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter, Dorie's recipe uses sea salt, I thought it was a touch salty.
1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
2 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup

Leavening Ingredients

1 tablespoon boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, coconut, sugars, and salt and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter with the Golden Syrup and remove from heat.
Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl to dissolve the baking soda.
Pour the water and baking soda into the butter mixture and stir to combine.
Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to mold each cookie by gently packing dough into ice cream scoop and then turning out onto cookie sheet or form 1 1/2-inch balls of the dough with spoons)
Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 17-18 minutes* or until deep golden brown (the color of carrot cake). Makes 16-18 cookies.
*Read my post regarding baking times!

Notes

These cookies should be a nice rich deep brown. Meant to be a little dense and crispy as they historically needed to travel well. For a chewier cookie, a little less baking time will do the trick, if that is what you like. It won't have as much of that nice caramel flavor you get from browning but still tasty!

“Lassoed” Into Making “Biscuits” (Shortbread)

By threejamigos | November 7, 2021 | Comments 2 comments

In the Queen’s Language, Cookies are Biscuits

I LOVE Shortbread cookies and have quite a few recipes on 3jamigos that are shortbread-centric. I live by the motto “more butter, more better”. Food52 shared the recipe for biscuits from the Ted Lasso show, of course I made them. It was a no-brainer, an automatic cookie bucket list entry. In fact, it was The “biscuits” that enticed me to watch the show. Up to that point, Ted Lasso was not even on my radar despite friends and family buzzing about it. Well, I started watching Ted Lasso and the buzz is justified. Optimistic, empathetic, decent and endearing, qualities we seemed to be in short supply of these days. Ted Lasso is the perfect escape and the biscuits are pretty darn good too.

The Premise

American football coach goes to England to coach FOOTBALL. LOL

Biscuits with the Boss

Each day Ted brings a box of biscuits (cookies) to his boss, Rebecca. A tiny pink box filled with buttery goodness. Scrumptious biscuits, solid acting, a funny storyline, and Jason Sudekis, 🍿🍿🍿🍿.

The recipe is the “official one” provided by Apple TV, the distributor of Ted Lasso. There are other “me too” recipes out there (that of course I am going to try) like Christina Tosi’s version, but I figured this was a good place to start. These are essentially shortbread cookies. Did I like them? Yes. Do I think they are the be-all-end-all? Probably not.

My absolute favorite Shortbread is from an essay in Cuisine Magazine (sadly gone), “My Father’s Shortbread”. A Classic Scottish Shortbread–buttery, sandy texture, nice crumb, melts in your mouth and yet has some substance to the bite. It is the cornerstone of every holiday box of cookies we give out at Christmas. It is my be-all-end-all shortbread.

My second favorite is Bouchon’s Shortbread, tender, melt in your mouth, screams butter. It is a beautiful cookie. A little sweeter from the dusting of sanding sugar on the cookie.

Back to Ted

Don’t get me wrong. I will make Ted’s Biscuits again. They have a smoother texture than classic shortbread and a softer bite. I’m guessing it has to do with beating the butter much longer than the other shortbread recipes, the addition of powdered sugar and baking at a higher temperature than classic shortbread. The crumb is much more uniform so you don’t get that same sandy texture.

The cookies are baked in an 8 inch pan and cut after they are cooled. Start checking at about 40 minutes during baking. My batch turned a nice golden brown at 45 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack. The cookies are cut after they cool. Use a sharp serrated knife to keep the cuts clean and minimize breaking. I’m not sure why they aren’t cut warm, I might try that next time.

The cookie tastes better the next day, the butter flavor shines when given the chance to sit. Patience has its rewards.

So if you are sitting down to watch Ted Lasso, make a batch of any of these biscuits. It will make the show that much more fun and enjoyable. If you are like Ted, have a cup of coffee not a cup of garbage water (according to Ted). Me, I would love a steaming hot cup of tea.

Ted Lasso's Biscuits (Shortbread)

Ted’s a simple man as are his biscuits. A classic, buttery shortbread.

Course biscuits, cookies

Cuisine American, European

Keyword butter, cookies, Shortbread, ted lasso

Prep Time 15

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter softened
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Sanding sugar optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300℉
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set it aside
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter for three to five minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
Press into baking pan, keeping the dough as even as possible. I use an offset spatula and a tamper to even out the dough. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it looks golden-brown but is still a little soft to the touch. Take the pan out of the oven. Sprinkle with sanding sugar now if using. Let it cool completely on a rack before cutting them.
Remove from pan and use a serrated knife to cut slices to the dimensions you like. Ted cut his into squares, I cut mine into rectangle shape like Walker Shortbread. Go find some cute pink boxes too!

Biscuits! Love, American Style

By threejamigos | March 30, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

The NYT recipe for spicy pork shoulder made quite a bit so to keep things fresh and interesting (the classic leftover dilemma), we looked for different ways to enjoy our Instant Pot Pulled Pork. We quickly discovered all that pure porky goodness goes well with just about anything. Like…BISCUITS. I pulled out Bon Appetit’s recipe, BA’s BEST Buttermilk Biscuit, which had caught my eye during one of my many biscuit quests. The leftover pulled pork gave me an excuse to make biscuits (as if I needed an excuse to make biscuits, who am I kidding?) and it proved to be a winning combination.

Verdict: These are pretty damn good biscuits. Don’t wait until you have pulled pork to make these. They are fabulous with just butter and honey. But when you do make that spicy pork shoulder, make a batch of these bad boys to go along!

Variation 1: Good Morning! Biscuits slathered with butter and honey on a plate next to a mound of pulled pork and 2 eggs, scrambled, soft, runny..breakfast plate ecstasy.

Variation 2: Lunch anyone? Biscuit, still warm, split in half and piled with pulled pork and a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg. The first bite, egg yolk oozes down and all over the pork and biscuit making it even yummier (yep)..ultimate biscuit sandwich.

Variation 3: For the home team! A yummy slider-biscuit, pork, slaw, Q-sauce, football/basketball on TV..GAME DAY food at its finest.

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Bon Appetit's Best Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttery, flaky, just what a biscuit should be...

Course Biscuits and scones, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, homemade

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Ingredients

2½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface
1 cup 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more, melted, for brushing
1 cup chilled buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°.
Place baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda, and 3½ cups flour in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add chilled butter and pulse until largest pieces of butter are the size of a pea.
Transfer to a large bowl and gradually drizzle buttermilk over top, tossing with a fork as you go to incorporate. Knead mixture a few times in bowl until a shaggy dough forms (mixture will look a little dry), then turn out onto a clean surface and pat into a 1"-thick square.
Using a knife or bench scraper, cut dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, sandwiching any loose dry bits of dough between layers, and press down to flatten.
Lift up dough with bench scraper and dust surface with flour. Roll dough into a 1"-thick rectangle and trim a thin border around sides of dough to create clean edges.
Cut into a 4x3 grid to make 12 biscuits (don’t reroll scraps). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2" apart; freeze 10 minutes.
Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and bake biscuits until deep golden brown on bottom and golden on top, 20–25 minutes.

Notes

BA's best buttermilk biscuits

There is a video on how to make these biscuits at the end of the recipe. If you are a biscuit making newbie, it is well worth watching.

Summer Shortcakes

By threejamigos | August 15, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

Whaaat! Summer is over? Are you kidding? Noooooooo. My only consolation, apple season is just around the corner. Invariably I will walk out one day soon and notice the color changes and the slight chill in the air. There is an orange hue to the sunshine of a fall day different from the unrelenting bright hot sun of summer. The days get a little shorter and as the sun sets there is a cool crispness to the air that reminds me to break out my sweaters, my favorite apple recipes and my crockpot. But as an ode to the waning days of summer I thought I would share a favorite summer dessert. We picked up some beautiful peaches, nectarines and of course berries at the market. What better way to showcase the jewels of the season than shortcake. A buttery, tender pillow for our summer fruit bounty topped with a cloud of vanilla laced whipped cream. Yum.

Shortcakes are of course a riff on one of my favorite foods..biscuits. Yep think of them as biscuits on a sugar rush.

I have a tried and true shortcake recipe I found in Anthony Dias Blue’s America’s Kitchen. A beautiful and OLD (once again dating myself) cookbook that literally is a delicious tour of regional cooking in the good ole’ US of A. You could go to your supermarket and buy those spongey-like things in the cellophane wrappers that masquerade as shortcakes (really they remind me of Hostess Twinkies, eeww) or you could take a couple of minutes and whip up these easy and exponentially better tasting sweet biscuits-your call. If you do go the spongey cake route, don’t forget to pick up a can of “real” whipped cream to go along because it would be pointless to whip cream by hand.

Oh my I think I am hangry, let’s get to those shortcakes pronto.

These shortcakes are super quick and easy, especially if you have a food processor. If you don’t they can be made in a bowl with a pastry blender which would add just a couple of minutes.

Remember as with biscuits or pie crust, start with COLD ingredients. The butter should be well chilled as should be the heavy whipping cream. The whipping cream is what makes these biscuits really tender, they practically melt in your mouth.

Scatter the butter on the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Don’t worry if there are bits of butter (petite pea size) better to under process than over process. With the machine running add cream all at once.

With the machine running, add cream. Pulse until the dough starts to clump and then STOP! You will still see dry bits but that’s ok. Pour the mixture out on a flat surface, gather and knead the dough gently to bring it together. Roll it into a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick disc. Using a biscuit cutter approximately 3 inches in diameter cut out as many rounds and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

As your shortcakes are baking, prep your fruit and whip your cream. I slice my strawberries, sprinkle a touch of sugar on them and let them macerate a bit. Nothing better than strawberry juice soaking into those cakes.

Gotta be honest, I don’t follow a recipe to whip cream. I just add a touch of sugar and a dose of vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. Done…the best damn summer dessert..I’m out.

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Summer Shortcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream not ultra-pasteurized
2 pints strawberries or any kind of berries or sliced peaches or nectarines your choice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For shortcakes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In food processor fitted with metal blade, add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse to mix.
Add butter and pulse until dough has the consistency of cornmeal with some pea sized pieces of butter in it.
With motor running add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, process until dough just starts to come together. Do not over-process!
Place dough on flat surface, gather up dry bits and gently knead until dough forms a ball.
Roll out dough to 3/4 inch thick slab.
With a floured cutter, cut out 3 inch rounds and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Add powdered sugar to strawberries and let sit to macerate. (I use a couple of teaspoons of granulated sugar instead)
Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form and chill until ready to serve.
To assemble: Split cooled shortcake in half. Place bottom on plate and cover with strawberries including some of the juice. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on top of the berries and cover with top of shortcake. Dust with powdered sugar.
Eat, preferably outside enjoying the last rays of summer

Quest for the Holy Biscuit

By threejamigos | February 13, 2016 | Comments 2 comments

I might have mentioned my obsessive tendencies when it comes to food. For the most part I can control it but there are certain dishes that stay on the brain and whenever the opportunity arises, i.e. a restaurant that features it or I find a new recipe…I AM COMPELLED TO TRY IT. This is true for cookies like shortbread and lemon bars but it is especially true for biscuits. Having kids in the South has added fuel to the fire. As soon as I know I am going to the South, I scour the internet looking for the best biscuits. My current favorite in Nashville is Biscuit Love, (their Bonuts, fusion of biscuits and donuts served with fresh fruit and lemon curd, kill me now good). A trip to North Carolina began and ended with biscuits. No sooner had we arrived at the Raleigh-Durham Airport we made a beeline for Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Chapel Hill, a drive-thru that closes at 2 pm. We made it just in the nick of time for their fried chicken biscuit sandwiches, freakin delicious. Heading to the airport to fly home we took the circuitous route so we could stop at Rise Biscuits & Donuts in Durham for our last biscuit fix…delicious ending! I have found yummy biscuits in Portland, Oregon at The Tin Shed and Pine State Biscuits and right here in California at The Nickel Diner in LA and Brenda’s French Soul Food in SF. I love biscuits, it’s my crack.

In my mind, there are 2 kinds of biscuits, soft tender almost cake-like biscuits, and buttery FLAKY biscuits. My current quest is for the latter, biscuits so flaky you can peel & eat them in layers. I came across a recipe from Dishes and Dust Bunnies that I wanted to have a go at. My first batch accompanied me to Mom’s Monday morning coffee where they were gobbled up. Flaky, buttery, slightly salty, tender, I inch ever closer to the perfect biscuit.

I made a few changes to the recipe….somewhere along the way I learned the addition of baking soda to biscuits made with buttermilk reduces the tangy flavor. Despite being a native San Franciscan I am not fond of sour flavored food. Sourdough bread, I’ll take a pass (blasphemous I know). I used unsalted butter and reduced the salt to 1 teaspoon. Remember the golden rules for making biscuits, keep the ingredients cold, and don’t over mix. After chilling the dough, I rolled the dough into a 1/2 inch rectangle and folded the dough like an envelope (thirds) rolled again into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Repeat twice. For taller biscuits roll dough to 1 inch thick on the final time. Expect biscuits to about double in height when baked.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

¾ cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour plus more on the side for dusting
2½ tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
¾ cup cold unsalted butter 1½ sticks, cut up into 1/2 inch piecs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine dry ingredients bowl of food processor, pulse 2-3 times to mix
Place butter on top of dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. It is ok if there are some pea sized pieces of butter left.
Pour mixture into shallow bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the buttermilk to the mixture
Combine with your hands or a dough scraper gently mixing to blend. The dough is supposed to be crumbly so don't over mix.
After the dough has come together, chill in the fridge for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Take the dough from the fridge and drop it onto a floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough.
Roll the dough out into the shape of a rectangle about ½" thick. Sprinkle with a little flour.
Fold the dough in thirds and roll it out to about ½" thick again.
Fold over 2 more times and roll out to 3/4 - 1" inch thick. Sprinkle with a little flour.
Use a circular cookie cutter (2" cutter), cut out the biscuits and place them onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Do not twist cutter when cutting out biscuits, press straight down.
Alternative use a pizza cutter and cut cut dough into squares.
Leave at least 1" of space around each one.
Bake for 11 - 12 minutes until tops are golden.
Optional - Brush melted butter over the tops of the biscuits once they come out of the oven.
Serve with jam or butter

BOB….Biscuits on the Brain

By threejamigos | August 26, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Maybe its because I have two kids in college in the south, or maybe its just because who in their right mind doesn’t like biscuits, it is my current obsession. When I was a kid, scratch biscuits came out of a can with a chubby dough boy on the outside, pop the can open, ta-da, biscuits in 15 minutes!

In searching for a biscuit recipe, I learned southern families make their biscuits in a wooden bowl. These bowls are handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter. That struck a cord with me and I have been searching for a biscuit bowl of my own. A tall order here in California. I thought about having one made but I would have to make a gazillion biscuits to justify the cost. Then, I came across a Peruvian wooden bowl at NapaStyle…shallow and wide, it fit the bill. Not an actual biscuit bowl but close enough! When I visit my kid in Nashville I may continue the search for a true dough bowl but for now this is it so its time to make some biscuits!

This first recipe comes from State Magazine in Tennessee. From Tupelo Honey Cafe, not their signature AmAzing biscuit which I have had, but a nice tangy tender biscuit. A key ingredient is White Lily Self Rising Flour, available in the South, it is a softer winter wheat flour, lower protein content (King Arthur Flour has a version), perfect for biscuits.

Make sure your ingredients are cold! Mix in the butter with a pastry blender, until the butter particles are pea size. Use a light touch, don’t overmix.

I like this biscuit, but I wish the biscuit was taller, the search continues.

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Tupelo Honey Cafe Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup chilled shortening cut into pieces
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk
Melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425˚ and position oven rack slightly below center of oven. Lightly butter a round cake pan or cast-iron skillet. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt. Snap pieces of shortening with your fingers until they’re no larger than peas. Make a well in the mixture and pour in cream and ⅔ cup of buttermilk. Using your hands, sweep in the flour and turn dough until dry ingredients are moistened and dough resembles cottage cheese, adding just enough of remaining ⅓ cup buttermilk to reach this consistency. Sprinkle rolling surface with flour. Turn dough out onto the surface and sprinkle top with flour. With floured hands, fold dough in half and pat it into a ⅓- to ½-inch-thick round, using additional flour as needed. Flour again if necessary and fold dough in half a second time. If dough is still clumpy, repeat folding process for a third time. Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter into the flour and cut out biscuits, ensuring you don’t twist the cutter. Place biscuits in pan, sides slightly touching. Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and bake for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown, rotating pan 180 degrees after 6 minutes. Remove from oven and brush biscuits again with melted butter. Yields 10 biscuits.

This is Vancouver… Washington!

By threejamigos | July 2, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Annual trek to Northwest Regional Championship for Masters. Did I mention how much I love this regatta? It is a multi-day event, lots of racing, hang time with my crew mates and taking in the Northwest vibe. We didn’t get to spend much time in Portland, so I’ll have to go back!

Early morning arrival allows us time for breakfast at the Tin Shed, a neighborhood place where you fill your own coffee cup and settle in for a hearty breakfast. Make sure you try their biscuits, definitely a highlight!

From there we head across the river to Vancouver where we are staying. Anchoring the area is a small park, the heart of the town. On weekends the park hosts the Farmer’s Market, craft fairs and kids play in the water fountain. The area is in transition with new businesses popping up, I’m guessing a little more affordable than downtown Portland or Alberta Street where we had just come from..

Favorites this year in Vancouver include Treat Bakery, Tommy O’s and Woody’s Tacos. Treat serves up unbelievable cookies like Salted Chocolate Chip, their version of Dorie’s Jammers and Peanut Butter cookies. Delicious! Also found a little ice cream place on Main Street, Ice Cream Renaissance. Not as hip as Salt & Straw but a nice place to go, especially when the temperatures reach 100 degrees! Try their honey vanilla!