Buttermilk Biscuits

Making really good biscuits can be a challenge (at least for me) because the trick is not handling the dough too much. You basically need to leave the dough sitting there with lots of flour and crumblies all around and everything not totally incorporated into a nice neat ball. How do you do that? It looks so MESSY! If you can do it and tolerate the mess, you will get a tall, flaky biscuit that your perfectionist, nit-picker, stickler, fussbudget self will love!

3 cups flour
1½ tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, cold
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
1 egg, cold
2 Tbl water

Preheat oven to 425°. In large bowl, stir together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut cold butter unto dry ingredients. Whisk together buttermilk and egg and pour into flour mixture. Hand mix, before it all comes together, turn out onto floured surface. The less you touch it and work with it the better, just like pie pastry. Gently bring dough together and roll out to 1″ to 1½”. Cut out in rounds about 2″-2½” in diameter. Place on silpat lined or sprayed baking sheet right next to each other, barely toughing. Bake 12-15 minutes depending on how big you cut them. Original recipe – Ruth’s Diner Salt Lake City, UT.

For Cheddar Dill Biscuits:
To flour mixture add 1 cup cold shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 1 tsp dry dill weed (or fresh dill).
Try other combinations of herbs and cheese.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Pie Granola

 

Cheese Quick Bread

I was trying to chat and bake at the same time today and put my wheat and white flour bins away in my pantry in opposite spots. Then, I decided spur of the moment to throw together some cheese bread.  How can you measure out 3¾ cups of flour and not notice that it is wheat and not white flour???  It wasn’t until I had already stirred in the cheeses that I noticed what I had done.  I guess it’s one of those days when my brain is not fully engaged.  I know members of my darling family will read that last sentence and say, “one of many days”.  Ok, but what a great way to eat your whole wheat!  Try it, a delicious mistake.  Delicious with white flour too.

3¾ cups flour
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dill weed
1¼ cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
2 Tbl honey

Preheat oven to 350°.   In a large bowl combine flour, cheese, baking powder, onion powder, garlic salt, and dill weed.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream, eggs, oil, and honey.  Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just moistened.  Pour into sprayed loaf pan and bake 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes, remove loaf from pan to cool slightly on wire rack.  Serve warm.  Store leftovers sliced in refrigerator ready to toast and enjoy with butter!

I made another loaf with white flour.

Dilly Bread

This is an oldie but goodie!  I remember my mom making this when I was growing up, loved it then, love it now.  Great flavor from the onion, dill, and a little salt on the top.

2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp dillseed
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbl butter
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup water
2 Tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg

Generously spray a 2 quart casserole or a 9 inch round baking pan.  In a large mixing bowl combine 3/4 cup of the flour, yeast, dillseed, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In medium saucepan cook onion in butter until tender.  Add cottage cheese, water, sugar, and salt to onion mixture heat and stir just until warm, (120° to 130°).  Add to dry mixture in mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add egg, beat for 30 seconds.  Stir in the remaining 1¼ cups flour.

Spread batter in prepared pan or casserole.  Cover, let rise in warm place until nearly double, 50 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°.  If desired, sprinkle a little salt on top of dough.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  May need to cover with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent over browning.  Immediately remove from pan or casserole.  Serve warm or allow to cool on wire rack.