Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Homemade Biscuits

I grew up mostly eating homemade biscuits. The ONLY time we ever got canned biscuits (we have a friend who calls these "wop biscuits" ... purely for the wop you make with the can on the side of the counter LOL) was when we were at my Granny's house. I don't think my Granny really loved cooking like I do.  If there was a shortcut, she took it! LOL.  That's not to say that she didn't make some completely delicious food! She could make a mean pot of spaghetti sauce which all of us grand "young 'uns" (as she called us) thought was the very BEST SPAGHETTI ON THE ENTIRE PLANET and her conch peas and sweet tea - PURE BLISS! (But that's for another day...)

I loved eating canned biscuits at her house. My brother and I would get to split a can. But, at home, we had homemade which was delicious as well! I make homemade biscuits at my house. They are wonderful and we eat them for breakfast, lunch or supper. My girls really dislike canned biscuits! They only eat the homemade version so its a good thing I have mastered this craft....

"Down South" we ate our biscuits with cane syrup or jelly or just butter. My mom tells me she ate hers with even peanut butter although I don't think that sounds so great. Of course, our MOST FAVORITE way to eat biscuits was to split them in a bowl and completely smother them in hot chocolate pudding. I bet we had that once a week for dessert.

Here is how I make HOMEMADE BISCUITS.



Homemade Biscuits
First: Start preheating your oven to 400 degrees.
  • Measure these ingredients into a bowl:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Mix this together. Then add:
1/3 cup margarine/butter (equals 5 1/2 Tablespoons measured on the stick) or 1/3 cup shortening.
Cut this mixture into the flour mixture with two knives or a fork. I prefer to use a pastry blender.
  • Measure:
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk (I use 2%)
  • Dump the milk over the flour/baking powder/salt/margarine mixture in the bowl and stir well with a large spoon (I use a wooden spoon.)
  • Spray a large pie pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray or lightly grease/butter.
This is how I form the biscuits:
Place 1/2 to 1 cup flour in a large saucer.
Drop scoops of dough (about 1/4 cup per scoop) onto the pile of flour. Toss around to coat with flour just so it doesn't stick to your hand. Place the floured biscuit in the greased/sprayed pan and pat to take the rough edges off. Place the biscuits almost touching - but very close to each other - in the pan.
Bake 15 minutes or until browning a little bit.
Freezing instructions:
You can also put these unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet (not touching at all) and flash freeze. Then bag them up for baking later on. This way you don't have to pay the big bucks for those Pillsbury biscuits you find in the freezer section of your grocery store.
My mom just used Jello cook pudding and pie filling chocolate but I have since found a perfect "scratch" recipe which tastes just like my mom's and its homemade so "unknown ingredients" in there. Its here.