Simple Buttermilk Biscuits

Oh, how I love a good biscuit. So do my children. And so does my husband. It works out good that way.

The other day, on a whim, I decided to make our 10 yr old, Jaron, my little sous chef/baker biscuit apprentice. It was great fun. We should definitely do that more often. Soon to be 9 yr old Liberty has dibs on the next tandem baking slot.

We made 2 batches, 2 bowls working side by side. I demonstrated. He imitated. Everyone ate a hearty brunch of biscuits with sausage gravy, a little bit of southern comfort food on a cold Frozen Tundra* winter morning. So good.

*Minnesota, or Minnesnowta

I prefer to make these with 1/2 all-purpose flour and 1/2 freshly ground whole wheat flour. You can make them with all white flour, and they'll be tasty, sort of like restaurant biscuits, but they won't have much, if any, nutritional value, and may act sort of like glue in your intestines. Just sayin'. You can make them with all whole wheat flour, but they'll be a bit more dense and gritty, and you'll probably only like them if you're the real crunchy sort. I love them with 100% fresh ground whole wheat, but the rest of my family prefers 50%... I aim to please.

My recipe is similar to, if not the same as, many others out there. Some use shortening, some use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter, and some use all butter. I've written mine out to be flexible and listed the options right there. I believe in being creative and making things your own. What makes my biscuits my biscuits is that I almost always use at least half freshly ground whole wheat flour and all butter. I have an ongoing love affair with butter and wouldn't dream of making my biscuits with anything else. Not everyone feels that way, so wrote in the shortening option. You're welcome.

Without further ado, here is my recipe for our ordinary...

Simple Buttermilk Biscuits

2 c all purpose flour (or 1 c + 1 c whole wheat flour!)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter or shortening (I use butter!)
1 c buttermilk

Sift together dry ingredients and then cut in butter or shortening. Mix in buttermilk to make soft dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead/fold 4 or 5 times and roll out to approx. 1/2" thick. Cut with biscuit cutter, place on greased pan, and bake at 425˚ for about 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

Perhaps the favorite and funnest part of making biscuits is the hand shaping of the last bits of dough. If the truth be told, and it should, those biscuits are my favorite biscuits! I always have had a soft spot for those 'different' ones, people and biscuits...

So how about you? White flour? Whole wheat? 50/50? Butter? Shortening? Biscuits in a can?

Have Yourself a Very Merry Fall

We've been enjoying sneaking outdoors whenever the elusive sun decides to peak through the near constant cold and dreary drizzling that's been going on for way too long. Okay, 1 day of cold with drizzle is too long for me, I need sun, but this days and days and days of it has got to go.

Our family decided not to take part in the spreading of the germs* that runs rampant right about now, and stayed home from church yesterday. We had a nice morning around the big table with some hymn singing and the starting of a new Bible Study, called Line Upon Line, which will eventually take us through the entire Bible. It was a nice time, even with all of the toddler potty breaks and the 4 yr old's whisperings. It was also nice to be home for the afternoon, to get out for some fresh air- and sunshine!!

*The youngest two have been coughing and have had extremely runny/snotty noses for about 10 days now, it seems to have come and gone for the 4 & 10 yr olds, all without fevers or body aches- this is not the flu, probably just a seasonal 'common cold' or quite possibly some fall allergies. It's hard to tell, but with the current flu issues, we're not taking coughing children anywhere, especially the nursing home we were scheduled to visit...

The sun is out again today, there will be bundling up and heading out to get some blood pumping right after a little math and reading!

I thought I'd share one of my favorite fall recipes, that I shared over at my knitting blog. It makes a perfect fall snack, dessert, or, if you're anything like my family, even breakfast. Baked oatmeal with fruit, that works for breakfast. Yes it does. Enjoy it! (Our family always doubles this!)

Apple Oatmeal Bars

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup shortening

9 medium apples, sliced

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. butter

Mix flour, salt, soda, brown sugar, and oatmeal together. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Spread half of mixture into greased 9 by 9-inch baking dish. Press down firmly. Cover with apple slices. Mix white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Dot with butter. Cover with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Serve warm, with cream, if desired.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup honey and substitute 2/3 cup butter for shortening in crust.

Now it's time for some vitamin D! This is the Frozen Tundra, we need to get it when we get the chance!