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October 09, 2005
Biscuits and Gravy
I woke up this morning with a desire for biscuits and milk gravy. For good measure I also cooked up some sausage, eggs and grits. A southern breakfast perfect for sunday morning. I only ate the biscuit and gravy part and a glass of weak orange juice. (I hate thick juice and always cut it by half with cold water.)
I don't think I will ever achieve the level of biscuit making that my grandmother and mother reached long before they were my age. Biscuits was a supper time staple and were cooked every single day in my years of growing up. Now they are a treat.
This is how I make the most Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits:
2 cups all purpose flour (I only use King Arthur unbleached)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup crisco shortening (butter won't make a perfect biscuit)
3/4 cup buttermilk
Sift the dry ingredients together. With your fingers or a fork or a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until it looks like crumbles. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Mix well with your hands until a sticky dough forms. Turn out on a floured surface and sprinkle a little flour over top to keep everything from sticking. Fold the dough over 3 or 4 times then roll or pat out too a 3/4 to 1 inch thickness. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter or even the floured rim a glass, cut out your biscuits. With the scrap dough fold it back together as few times as possible and roll it out again and cut more biscuits. Brush tops with melted butter. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown (15 - 22 mins).
Note: Some people add 1 tbsp sugar to their biscuits but I do not. This is not traditional. Biscuits should only be sweet if they are being made for a shortcake or sweetroll type dessert.
Take this same dough recipe and add a hand full of raisins and pecans and brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake as above. While piping hot drizzle over top a thick slurry of confectioners sugar mixed with a little milk. Excellent treat for a sweet roll breakfast or evening snack.
I know many people do not keep buttermilk in their refrigerator as staple any more. There is a product in the baking aisle where you find the baking powder and soda. It is a powdered form of buttermilk with a long shelf life. This is a substitute I would suggest to keep on hand for the rare moments when you need buttermilk in a small quantity. (However, I wouldn't go so far as to try make a real red velvet cake with it. You must have the real thing.)
Milk Gravy
Milk gravy is easy enough to make but it takes practice to time the flour and the milk just right so it doesn't look brownish or grey or lumpy and too thick.
Look around your grocery store for Southeastern Mills Peppered Milk Gravy Mix. This is the next best thing to homemade. It is also the same gravy you can use for country fried steak with milk gravy.
This far north (hahaha Upper and Middle Virginia) it is hard to find certain brands. When I find them I usually buy 6 or 12 of each and store them for later.
Things I store include: Southeastern Mills gravy products, Duke's Mayonnaise, Castleberry's Hotdog chili, Deep South pickles, B&M baked beans ... oh the list could go on so long. I should show you my storage closet in the mudroom. It is crammed full of things not found easily up here where we live.
Anyone know where I can pick up Trappey's peas with hot peppers?
Posted by Angie at October 9, 2005 07:46 AM
Comments
You'll make southern cooks out of us yet, Miss Angie. Hey, I love the Hallowe'en look.
Posted by: MistressMary at October 9, 2005 09:16 AM
I love biscuits better than most anything, Angie. I never make them from scratch - but I will try your recipe. I am not opposed to Crisco, though I do try to limit its use. There is no better way to fry chicken or pork chops than with Crisco.
Sorry about the wine. I know you will savor a glass as soon as you can. Of course, if you are going to breast feed, you m ay have to hold off on that a bit longer. When I was trying to breast feed, I was told to drink a beer each day, and it turned into a habit.
Posted by: kenju at October 9, 2005 09:38 AM
P.S. I also use the dry buttermilk; it makes good enough cornbread.
Posted by: kenju at October 9, 2005 09:39 AM
I watched my Mom make milk gravy so often I can do it still. Now, where's the flour?....
Posted by: Old Horsetail Snake at October 9, 2005 09:46 AM
Great recipe- Thank you. I have been looking for a good biscuit recipe. The ones I've tried all have been too dry.
Here's what I do when I don't have buttermilk on hand- I add one tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of whole milk and let it sit for ten minutes. I've heard 1 T of vinegar works, too. Voila! Buttermilk!
Posted by: Lucinda at October 9, 2005 11:42 AM
That is a really good tip Lucinda but for biscuits it's just not the same. The biscuit dough needs the butter fat in the milk to make a moist yet flakey biscuit -notice how thick buttermilk is. Some things you just can't substitute. The lemon juice does add acid to the milk but buttermilk is more than just acidic milk. I prefer golden churn buttermilk. It is more palatteable for drinking -with cornbread :-)
Posted by: Angie at October 9, 2005 12:17 PM
I had to read through this quickly with my eyes half shut. I'll be back once the diet is over to try this one out:) Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!
Posted by: MommaK at October 9, 2005 03:48 PM
We have homemade biscuits 3x a week! My mother in law taught me to make pan gravy. She is a certifiable expert Oakie gal and I treasure her teachings. Unfortunately she now cooks low fat and cuts as many corners as she can while I use only butter for baking and real butter milk etc. Ah well, wonder what my girls will do when they reach this age?
Yummy...now I'm starved for the fried ham and red eye gravy we're having for supper!!!
~K!
Posted by: Kismet at October 9, 2005 07:52 PM
oh that sounds so good.
I'm feeling a little sad that I don't cook more. I think that is one of the main areas I am failing in this whole mom/housewife thingy. I always tell myself I'll cook more when they are oldern and in school and I have more time. But I really should get my butt in gear.
Posted by: katherine at October 9, 2005 09:01 PM
Mmmm that sounds like a very yummy breakfast. I've went to a restaruant down south once and had biscuits and gravy, grits and sausage. I had no clue what "grits" even were! But I was never more satisfied with such a yummy breakfast. I also was surprised when I asked for ice tea and I got a glass of cold tea, not sweetend like Nestea.
Posted by: Jennifer at October 10, 2005 09:01 AM
I was going to make sausage and grits for brex on Sunday but I didn't have time. Now I'm glad I didn't, because I'm going to add your biscuit recipe to the menu for next week. (when I BETTER have time! lol)
Posted by: Laura at October 10, 2005 11:42 AM
Sounds like the proportions of a my mom's tea biscuits too.
Posted by: Pearl at October 10, 2005 01:04 PM
I'm laughing at and loving this post. After 5 days away from the neighborhood I started down my blogroll (You're 2nd alphabetically) and find this on Southern breakfasts. I'm laughing because I was absolutely appalled to discover 2 huge boxes of grits in Abby's kitchen. GRITS! She's lived in Florida less than 2 months! The biscuit recipe is one I'll definitely try this weekend- thanks! (country fried steak- yum!)
Posted by: Vicki at October 10, 2005 07:21 PM
another keeper! I can't wait to try-I'll look out for the beans and if by chance I find them i'll let you know- i love jalapeno everything.
Posted by: Jakapk at October 11, 2005 12:40 AM
I would be happy with the grits alone. LOVE grits.
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Posted by: ryan smith at December 23, 2005 03:02 PM
Wish I could have some southern b&g in N.Iraq along with a hotdog with Castleberry chili!!
Enjoyed your comments!!
Posted by: Steve at January 10, 2006 10:40 AM