The Gentle Art of Biscuits
Biscuits are easy to make. They really are. Fast, too. You can mix up a batch of biscuits in the time it takes the oven to preheat. Yet, I know people who seem to struggle with them. With a couple of friends recently, we talked about the secret to a light and flaky biscuit.
So what goes wrong? How do you make light, flaky biscuits every time?
For the moment I’ll assume you have a decent recipe. There are a lot of great biscuit recipes out there. I know people that have treasured family recipes. Biscuits that have been made the same way for generations.
Assuming also, that the baking powder is fresh*, there has to be some other reason that some folks just seem to struggle with biscuits.
The problem is, more than likely, over-mixing the dough. When I talk to someone who tells me that their biscuits are always heavy or tough, I first ask about how they are put together. Less is more, when it comes to biscuits. Less handling of the dough, more tender the biscuits.
Once the dry ingredients have been mixed and the fat cut in, there is just liquid to be added. I prefer to chill whatever fat I am using.
At this point the dough should be handled just enough to hold together. A light hand means a light biscuit. The same is true for making scones. The more you knead the dough, handle the dough and roll the dough, the less flaky biscuits become. Be gentle with your dough.
Don’t treat biscuit dough the way you would a yeast-based dinner roll. The two are very different in how they are handled. Yeast-based doughs benefit from kneading and “working” the dough. Biscuits are the opposite.
Even when cutting out the biscuits, it will help if you cut them out as close together as you can. That way you have fewer scraps to re-roll. Every time you roll the dough out- it becomes a little tougher. You can always roll or pat your dough into a square and cut out the biscuits into triangles, leaving no scraps and no re-rolling.
Here is a recipe for one of my favorite biscuits. They are light and very flaky. Is there anything better than a fresh, warm biscuit with some butter?
Biscuits Supreme
2 c. flour
4 t. baking powder
2 t. sugar
½ t. cream of tartar
½ t. salt
½ c. cold butter, shortening or coconut oil – you can even use lard
2/3 c. milk
Stir together dry ingredients and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add milk all at once. Stir until dough sticks together and knead on lightly floured surface 10-12 strokes. Roll or pat to ½ inch thickness. Cut with 2-21/2 inch biscuit cutter and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 450-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 10-12.
Note: I made two batches of these biscuits with friends. One with butter and the other with shortening, to compare them side by side. Both handled and rose perfectly. A few people said the shortening biscuits were flakier. I make no judgements about what fat you choose to use in your biscuits. I use butter most often, unless I am serving them to someone who doesn’t eat butter/dairy for some reason.
*If your baking powder might be old, you can test it. Place a couple of tablespoons of boiling water in a cup. Add a teaspoon, or two, of baking powder. The mixture should bubble vigorously. If there are no bubbles, or very few bubbles, you might want to get a new container of baking powder.
Classic Pecan Pie
I love all sorts of pies. I would never want to pick just one favorite. If I had to pick, pecan would probably be it. The nuts, the sweet, gooey filling and the crispy crust all work so well together.
Served plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream, pecan pie just works for me. It is not a pie I make very often, so I think pecan pie always makes me thinks of the holidays. It was also a favorite of my Mom’s.
Here is the recipe. The crust recipe follows. There is also a variation for chocolate pecan pie.
Classic Pecan Pie
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. light or dark corn syrup
1 c. sugar
2 T. Butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1½ c. pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry crust
In medium mixing bowl beat together all ingredients, except the pecans until well mixed. Stir in nuts and pour into crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted off center comes out clean. Makes 1.
Chocolate Pecan Pie Variation: The same recipe as above, but reduce sugar to 1/3 cup and add 4 oz. of German sweet chocolate or semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled along with the eggs. This pie sometimes needs a little more time to bake-5 minutes or so.
Variations: You can experiment with other nuts. Try toasted, skinned hazelnuts, chopped coarsely or walnuts, slivered almonds or a combo.
You can use a store bought crust, but I prefer homemade. This is the crust recipe I normally use when I make pecan pie. It makes two crusts, so you can cut the recipe in half, freeze half of the dough, or just make 2 pies!!!
Half and Half Dough
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies, pecan and pumpkin. For a sweet pie, like pecan, you can reduce the sugar in the crust by half.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. lard or shortening, room temp
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
This recipe is a variation on a classic scone recipe that I bake often. The addition of poppy seeds and lemon add a nice flavor and texture to the scones. They rose beautifully and were crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. The secret to a good scone is not to over mix the dough. Handle the dough as little as possible once the dough comes together.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. poppy seeds
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ -1 t. Lemon zest
½ t. salt
¼ c. butter, cut up
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg
Topping
2 T. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
Mix together sugar and lemon juice and brush on hot scones.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or line with silicone baking mat. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Beat together milk and egg and add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just coming together. Turn onto floured surface and knead 5-6 strokes or until ball of dough holds together. Transfer dough to prepared sheet and with floured hands, press dough into an eight-inch circle. To get a perfect circle, dust an 8-inch round cake pan with flour. Press dough into the pan, then quickly turn the pan over onto the prepared baking sheet. Remove cake pan. With a sharp, floured knife cut dough into 8 wedges. Bake 14-16 minutes. Makes 8.
Dough can also be patted out on work surface and cut into circles or pressed into a square and cut into smaller squares.
Extra Crispy Baked Onion Rings
These onion rings are fabulous. They have all the crunch of traditionally fried onion rings, without frying!!! The secret is panko bread crumbs and a very hot oven.
I’ve tried baking onion rings before. They were good, but not great. The panko adds more texture than other bread crumbs add. This gives you pretty crunchy onion rings.
The 450 degree oven is a must, too. You need really high temps for this to work.
I used a Vidalia onion and it worked great, but you can use any large onion. Sweet onions are my first choice, but even a big yellow onion will mellow out when cooked.
The drizzle of oil is a must, too. You can just give them a spritz of your favorite non-stick baking spray. Or use a spoon to drizzle them lightly with oil before baking. Because of the high heat- I used avocado oil.
I used the same recipe to make baked zucchini slices, too. They came out great as well.
Before someone asks. Can these be done in an air fryer? I am sure they can. Since I don’t have an air fryer I can’t give you exact direction. An air fryer is basically a higher speed convection oven, so you would set the temp lower and watch your time. If someone makes these in an air fryer please elt me know so I can share your results.
Here is the recipe. I hope you try it.
Extra Crispy Baked Onion Rings
1 large onion- sweet preferred
½ c. flour
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
¼ t. smoked paprika
2 eggs
2 T. water
About 2 cups panko bread crumbs
Oil or non-stick cooking spray
Extra salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. You might need a second one. Peel onion and slice into ½-inch thick pieces. Separate into rings. In a bag, combine the flour with the salt, pepper and paprika. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and water. In a second bowl, place the panko crumbs. Place a few of the onion rings in the bag of flour and shake to coat evenly. Remove from the bag, tapping off excess flour. Place rings in the egg mixture next, turning to coat them completely. Last step is placing the egg-dipped onion rings in the bread crumbs and turning to make sure they get coated evenly. Place onion rings on the prepared baking sheet and continue the procedure until all the onion rings are breaded. To save space, you can place smaller onion rings inside of the larger ones. Drizzle with a little oil, or spray with non- stick coating. I have this pump-bottle thing that lets me spritz oil on stuff. If you are drizzling oil, put a tablespoon or two in a bowl, and use a spoon to drizzle the oil all over the onion rings. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. You can turn them over after 10 minutes, for a more even bake. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more salt before serving. Serves 3-4 depending on the size of the onion.
Red Onion Relish
I made this relish last night. I had a few red onions I wanted to use up. I love the tart flavor and bright color it adds to my food. This relish is a great topper for sandwiches, but can be used for a whole lot more.
The onions can be served with cheese and crackers for an easy appetizer. It works great with a charcuterie board. Also nice on toasted baguettes with some melted cheese. You can add some to salads, and the liquid can be combined with a little oil for a simple salad dressing. I even had some with my scrambled eggs for breakfast.
After you cook it, you just ladled into jars, cool it down, and store it the fridge. It will keep for weeks and weeks. Nice to have on hand for last minute entertaining.
Red Onion Relish
4-5 medium red onions, peeled and sliced thin
2 c. red wine vinegar
1½ water
1 c. sugar- or to taste
2 T. salt
1 T. mustard seed
1 T. celery seed
1 t. fennel seeds, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cinnamon stick- 4 inch
4 whole cloves
Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Cool and place in jars, then store in the fridge. Use as a sandwich topper, salad addition, appetizer with cheese and crackers. You can also use the liquid as the base for a salad dressings, with the addition of some oil. Keeps for weeks in the fridge. Makes 5 cups.
Coconut Snowballs
Since it is a very snowy day here today, I thought of these treats. These are really the only snowballs I want to see at the moment.
I have wonderful memories of my Aunt Josie making these for every family gathering. Aunt Josie baked a white cake in a rectangular cake pan and cut the cake into squares. They were all perfectly even. I asked her how she did that. She told me that she used her cooling racks to get the lines even. She would set the cooling racks on her cake and use the wires as guides. So clever.
I never could seem to get them even, so I bake my cake in cupcake tins and call then snowballs. Whatever the shape, these little cakes are a favorite treat in my family.
In bakeries, you’ll find them in squares or rectangles. She shared her recipe with me a long time ago, and I am sharing it with you.
You can bake the batter in mini muffin pans or standard muffin pans. It just depends on what size you want your snowballs to be. After the cupcakes are baked, freeze them. The frozen cakes are dipped in a chocolate sauce and then rolled in desiccated coconut.
Desiccated coconut is dried and unsweetened. It looks like coarse, white bread crumbs. You can find it in stores that carry baking supplies and at Asian markets. It is the same kind of coconut used to make coconut shrimp.
Here is the recipe for making the “snowballs”. The recipe for the cupcakes is listed below, as well. I just doubled my classic white cupcake recipe, but you could use a box mix, if you prefer.
Aunt Josie’s Coconut Cake Squares aka “Snowballs”
1 white cake, prepared and frozen solid* or cupcakes
Chocolate Sauce
1 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 t. vanilla
1 c. desiccated coconut (available at cake supply stores and some health food stores)
Cut cake into small squares, or cake can be baked in regular or mini cupcake tins. Freeze until ready to use. Meanwhile, make the chocolate dipping sauce. Combine remaining ingredients, except coconut, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Using toothpicks or fondue forks, dip frozen cake in sauce let drain a few seconds, then roll in the coconut. Can be enjoyed right away or frozen again for later use.
*If you make a box cake in muffin tins you’ll get 24 cupcakes or about 60 mini cupcakes. The recipe below will yield half that amount.
Classic White Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12paper liners. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they springs back to the touch. Makes 12.
Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a fun and easy appetizer for any party. They also are great for lunch, brunch or dinner. You can fill them with all sorts of fillings. I used fresh spinach, which had been steamed and squeezed dry, but frozen spinach could also be used. I used Portobello mushrooms caps. Baby Bellas would work nicely as well.
The spinach and mushrooms worked really nicely together. The ones in the picture have Swiss cheese in them. But you can use any number of different cheeses. I have made them with cheddar cheese and once with smoked Gouda. These were cooked in a skillet, you could also bake them in the oven, or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. You can serve them as is- or maybe top with some salsa or sour cream.
Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
1 (10 ounce) package fresh or frozen spinach, cooked, thawed and squeezed dry.
2 cups shredded cheese, I like cheddar or Swiss, but use what you like
2-3 tablespoons butter- you can use oil instead
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon oil
Saute spinach in a little butter until wilted. Cool and chop. Set aside. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add seasonings to suit your taste. Place a quarter of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with a quarter of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.
Cauliflower Flatbread – Gluten Free
I have made this recipe before, but it had been awhile and I knew I wanted to make it again. I love cauliflower and eat it often. I had picked up a huge cauliflower from a local produce market and I just wanted to do something different with it this time. It isn’t that hard to make. It is easier than making bread.
I was torn about what to call it. Often it is called a cauliflower pizza crust, but I think that gives you unrealistic expectations. It is, after all, just a cauliflower. Somehow flatbread works better for me, but call it whatever makes you happy. In spite of not wanting to call it a pizza crust. I ended up treating it like a pizza.
The most time consuming part of this recipe is “ricing” the cauliflower. It involves cutting the cauliflower into flowerets and then chopping them in a food processor until the pieces are about the size of rice grains. Still, not that hard, just takes a few minutes. You can also buy cauliflower already chopped up, so you can even skip this step, if that helps.
After I made the crust, I cooked down a couple of jars of home canned tomatoes, sauteed onions, garlic and peppers and put it all together for the topping. Like a chunky pizza sauce. I added pizza seasoning to it, too. I spread it over the crust then topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. It was actually very good and was eaten quickly by my guests.
So here is the recipe.
Cauliflower Flatbread Crust
2½ pounds cauliflower florets, riced
2 eggs, beaten
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 t. pizza seasoning- or seasoning of your choice
1 t. salt
To make the cauliflower “rice”, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. You can also steam the cauliflower or even bake it in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Just get the cauliflower cooked. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer. Once you’ve strained the cauliflower, let it cool down, then transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel or several layers of cheesecloth. Wrap up the steamed “rice” in the dishtowel, twist it up, and squeeze all the excess moisture out! It’s amazing how much extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry crust.
In a large bowl, mix up your strained cauliflower, beaten eggs, cheeses, and spices. (Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won’t be like any bread dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together! Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. (It’s important that it’s lined, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about ⅓” thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like. Bake for 35-40 minutes. The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished. Now’s the time to add all your favorites– sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like. Return to the oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve immediately!
Note: I used the cream cheese because I had some leftover from another recipe and it made sense to use it up. I honestly think the recipe would be fine without it- maybe add a bit more mozzarella cheese. I also added a second egg, which I did not do the last time I made the “crust”. I think it helped the crust to hold together better.
Gwen’s Cinnamon Sandy Pecan Cookies – Vegan
I made these cookies when my goddaughter was in town for a visit. She and her boyfriend are vegan and I always want to make them something special. They came out so good. Even better than I had hoped. It’s all about the texture with these cookies. Crunchy, but tender, too. They weren’t the prettiest cookies I ever made, but they are one of my new favorites.
The inspiration for this recipe was Gwen’s great grandmother’s shortbread recipe, with a few important changes. Instead of 2 cups of butter in the original recipe, I used coconut oil and almond butter. I added cinnamon, cornstarch and nuts. I also reduced the amount of flour from the original recipe. In the end I was really happy with how these cookies came out. They have that sandy shortbread quality plus cinnamon and nuts to add flavor and texture. So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Gwen’s Cinnamon Sandy Pecan Cookies- Vegan
1 c. sugar
1 c. coconut oil
1 c. almond butter- peanut or other nut butters could be used
2 T. vanilla
3 c. flour
¼ c. cornstarch
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. salt
¾ c. fine chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients and stir until smooth. Beat until mixture gets a little fluffy. You can do this with a stand mixer, sturdy hand mixer or by hand. Combine flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in nuts and continue to blend. It’s going to seem at times like the dough won’t come together, but it will. At the end I mixed the dough by hand. The almond butter and coconut oil had both been in my fridge and were cold. In hindsight, I should have let them come to room temperature first. Use a cookie scoop or by hand form dough into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet or you can use parchment or a silicone baking sheet liner. Leave an inch between the cookies. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be light brown on the bottom and firm. Let them sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before trying to move. They are a bit crumbly. I forgot to count how many cookies it made. I want to say 3-4 dozen.
Marble Rye Bread
This might be one of my favorite breads. That’s saying a lot because I bake bread all the time. I bake both rye and pumpernickel breads. For some reason I never put the two together. A friend had been asking me for some time to make a marble rye, so I did. It came out really nice. I baked mine in loaf pans, since I wanted the bread for sandwiches. You can also roll the dough out and bake on a baking sheet. Directions for both versions are included below. So here is the recipe. I hope you try it. I think you will be as pleased as we were.
Marble Rye Bread
Light Rye Dough
1 packet active dry yeast or 2½ teaspoons
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 cup warm water (120° to 130°F)
¼ c. dill pickle juice – or ¼ c. water
2 Tablespoons oil
1 1/3 cups medium rye flour
Pumpernickel Dough
1 packet active dry yeast or 2½ teaspoons
2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons cocoa
1¼ cup warm coffee (120° to 130°F)
2 tablespoons molasses
2 T. oil
1 1/3 cups medium rye flour
Make the light rye dough: In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup all purpose or bread flour, salt, sugar and caraway seeds; mix well. Add water, pickle juice and oil to flour mixture. Mix using wooden spoon or dough whisk until all ingredients are incorporated and have a shaggy dough. Gradually stir in rye flour and enough of the remaining bread flour to make a firm dough. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after poking dough with finger down to second knuckle; about 1-1½ hours.
Make the pumpernickel dough: In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup all purpose or bread flour, salt, caraway seeds and cocoa; mix well. Add coffee, molasses and oil to flour mixture. Mix using wooden spoon or dough whisk until all ingredients are incorporated and have a shaggy dough. Gradually stir in rye flour and enough of the remaining bread flour to make a firm dough. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after poking dough with finger; about 1-1½ hours.
On lightly floured surface, divide each dough in half. Roll or pat each half to a 14×7-inch rectangle. For a dark crust, place a light rye piece on top of a dark rye. For a light crust, place a dark rye piece on top of a light rye. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges and ends to seal. Working from the center of the loaf to the ends, gently roll the loaf back and forth to form a baguette shape approximately 14-inches long. Place on a greased or silicone-lined baking pan. Repeat for second loaf. Cover loaves; let rise until indentation remains when lightly touched. Preheat oven to 375°F. After dough has risen, bake until internal temperature tests 190°F, about 40-45 minutes. Remove from pan; cool on rack.
Note: You can also bake the loaves in 2 (9×5) loaf pans. When rolling out the dough roll into a 10×8 inch rectangle. Roll up starting on the 10 inch side. Pinch dough together at the seams and place seam side down in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until doubled. Baking time is about the same.
