Monday, April 22, 2013

Easy Biscuits - Homemade is Best!

There is something about homemade biscuits that is so much better than canned.  I made some a few weeks ago to go with a pork loin that I put in the crock pot (turned out good, too!  Some Worchestershire sauce, a can of cream of asparagus soup, and seasoning overnight).  Found some on pinterest that are from Cooking Light.  They were called fool proof.  Mine were a bit flatter than I'd like but they tasted really good!  David took them to work for breakfast for a few days.  K enjoyed them, of course.  I figure they only add about 5-10 minutes to prep time, so I'll do them over canned.  :-)

Foolproof Biscuits from Cooking Light, November 2008

9 oz (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter cubes, and use a pastry cutter (or your fingertips, if you'd rather) to cut in the butter until the pieces are no bigger than peas - the mixture should resemble coarse meal. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk together the buttermilk and honey in a measuring cup. Add to the bowl with the butter/flour mixture and stir gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 3-4 times to bring it together. The dough may still be a little crumbly, that's fine. Roll the dough into a 9x5-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (using the long sides of the rectangle). Once again, roll the dough into a 9x5-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick, and again fold it into thirds like a letter. Roll the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness (the shape doesn't really matter). Using a 1 3/4-inch round cutter, cut biscuits from the dough (don't twist the cutter, use a straight up and straight down motion) and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. (I gathered the scraps and cut more biscuits once or twice to get as many as possible.)

Bake for about 11-12 minutes, or until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown on top. Remove the baking sheet and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve warm. Or, if you won't be serving immediately, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds when you are ready.

Makes 12-14 biscuits

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