Dancing with Biscuits

Hey, wanna put some love in your homemade biscuits?

Okay, let’s start with some southern humor! “Butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” That’s funny! I know you’re wondering how I’m “dancing with biscuits.” Read on to find out how, and how simple and easy it is to make wonderful, buttery, “hang together” biscuits with only a few ingredients, most you probably already have right in your kitchen. So, let’s dance!

These biscuits won’t fall apart, but “hang together” when you use them as “sandwich bread.” For years all my biscuits crumbled when I tried to eat them this way. Until I came up with this simple recipe. They are firm, but buttery delicious! This recipe will give you approximately 18 to 20 biscuits; determined by how big you want them.

At a glance, here’s what you’ll need: 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use organic. Arrowhead Mills is one of my favorites. And no I don’t get paid for advertising for them. Yet…)
• 4 tbsp room softened butter. (organic preferred)
• 2 cups milk (whole organic)
• 3 tsp (non GMO) baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (Pink Himalayan is what I used.)
• 1 smaller, extra bowl with 3 or 4 tbsp flour
• an extra-big spoon, wire whisk, a whisk-like dough cutter
• baking dish and some small, extra pans if you want to freeze the extra biscuits for another day. (I reuse my pie tins.)

First, if you’re gonna cook some right away, preheat your oven. I use the magic temp. of 405 degrees Fahrenheit on my fast bake. (This is the best heat for my oven. You know what yours is!) A good, common temperature for regular heat is 425. Then butter you some baking pans or dish. No! Don’t throw that butter wrapper away! Here’s what you do with it!Take the wrapper, turn it butter side down on your biscuit pans or dishes, and then rub it around using all the buttery goodness left on the wrapper to butter your pan. It works great and you feel frugal, as if you’ve save yourself some money! Do this often and you will. In a large bowl… Whoa, right here!!

• Before you begin, we’ve got to continue to put the love into your biscuits with some good old tips. After you’ve read this recipe, assembled all your ingredients like a good little cook, take a moment, shake off stress, put some music on, your favorite praise, worship, or love song that gets you there. I work with my phone and ear buds. Now relax and have fun making a mess. I do!

So now, in a large bowl, put in the salt, baking powder, and flour. Here is where you’ll use the whisk. Whisk it until thoroughly mixed. 

Next, slide in the butter while you sway to your music! Then you’ll use your whisk-like dough cutter, forgetting about the world, and have fun in your kitchen. You’re probably making a little bit of a mess by now. It’s okay ’cause we’re putting happiness in those biscuits about now, and not stress. Cut that butter into that flour until it looks all crumbly while relaxing to your music.

While smiling, pour in about half the milk and begin to stir with your big spoon. Use as much of the milk as you need to in order to make a gooey dough. (You may use more or less milk to get to here.)

While humming to your music and getting happier, letting the dough rest for a minute, begin to dance around your kitchen. Get “down with it,” or “jiggy” with it, or waltz around your kitchen; whatever makes you feel good. Are you loving making biscuits yet? Back in the day when my children were smaller, this is what I would do. Waiting for the food to cook, I would put on music; if they were small enough they would stand on my feet–one at the time–and I would teach them to dance. When they were a little older we danced, stepped on each other’s toes, and laughed. There’s always time to dance and put love into the atmosphere of your home!

After about a minute, this is where making biscuits gets sticky! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun!) This is where you’ll use your extra, small bowl of flour. Dip a spoonful of the sticky dough with your big spoon, and with your finger slid it off the spoon and into the flour. Roll it around until coated, and then pat it a little before you roll it into a smooth ball. 

Note: You can also use butter on your hands to roll out the biscuit. But I prefer flour.

Fill your pan with scrumptious looking biscuits, then flour your fingers and mash them down, leaving your happy prints on top. You may have dough left over, and fluffy flour all over your stove top, like mine here. This is a perfect time to plan ahead, and freeze the rest for another day.

To assemble the extra for freezing and baking another day, I use left over pie tins, butter them, and finish rolling my dough. Afterwards I put some parchment paper on top of the biscuits. The tins slip right into a gallon ziplock bag. (If you plan on leaving them in the freezer for awhile, it is best to date them.)

It’s not a smiley face, it’s a wow face, because you’ve done such a great, happy, and messy job dancing and making delicious buttery biscuits for your family!

Now comes the most pleasurable time! Bake your biscuits: speed bake, about 12 to 15 minutes @ 405 degrees. Regular: around 20 minutes, or until the golden shade you love. Rule of thumb: @425 degrees is where most people bake biscuits. Then take them out, put them on a rack, and let them cool. 

These are not your “more flaky” biscuits. These are a little denser, firmer to “hang together” for “sandwich” type eating. But they are still tender and buttery good. If you like, you can brush their tops with softened butter for more buttery taste.

 

Then use your happy, homemade biscuits for great sausage, sausage & eggs, (I used eggs from our chickens here) or jelly biscuits with some homemade jelly or jam. Some of our favorites are homemade jalapeno and fig jelly, made from our back yard fruit and vegetables. Mmmm, so good.

Homie, my favorite nick-name for my gardening husband, and I gobbled these up alongside our homemade, probiotic, fermented cabbage!

Remember, when you make your homemade, buttery biscuits, dancing with biscuits will fill the atmosphere of your home with wonderful smells, happiness, and enjoyable, delicious eating! And get rid of stress! Always a good thing!

From my kitchen to yours, happy eating!

 With love, from Romance & The Homestead,

Della