No Problem Biscuits
It had been a very long, cold and damp day. F
red started setting up our rig in a downpour while I heated a pot of beef stew for dinner. The beefy aroma filled the trailer with images of drier times.
“Hmmm, something smells goods,” Fred said as he entered the cheery warmth of our travel trailer and leaving puddles on the floor with each step.
“Thought beef stew and a salad would taste good,” I replied.
He gave me his endearing basset hound look and asked, “With hot biscuits?”
“Sure – no problem,” was my answer. And it really wasn’t. A challenge, maybe, but no problem.
The transition from a stationary, sea level suburban cook to the mobile explorer of National Forests wasn’t totally smooth. I dealt with various challenges relearning cookie baking
. And I have come to rely completely on my meat thermometer to ensure meat is cooked through. But I have bread and bagel baking down fairly well. And my biscuits are as reliable as when we lived in Virginia. This is my recipe for Biscuits – it can be made in one bowl and, if you use the full 3/4 cup of milk, its completely no kneading. Just drop soup spoon size dollops on a cookie sheet. A spoonful of jam or honey and you have dinner and dessert!
No Problem Biscuits
(yield: about a dozen)
Put the following into a bowl:
1-3/4 Cups all-purpose flour (Don’t sift! – you’re ruffin’ it.)
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder (reduce to 2 teaspoon when above 5200 feet)
Use a fork to mix these ingredients together. Using the same fork, “cut” into the flour mixture:
6 tablespoons of butter, margarine, or shortening
When the mixture looks crumbly, add:
½ to 3/4 Cups of milk. (Start with least amount and add a tablespoon if necessary. The amount will vary depending on the humidity.) Using the same fork, stir quickly until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Try not to over work the dough.
Now you have two options – to knead or not to knead.
To Knead – Flour one hand, and, using the heel of that hand, push the dough, gently, away from you. Fold the dough in half, turn it one quarter and repeat this push, fold, turn process. Do this 8 to 10 times – remember, less is more with biscuits. You’ve done this in your mixing bowl so, now, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll the dough to approximately ½ inch thickness. Using a 1-1/2 diameter cutter cut out as many biscuits as you can. Gather the remaining dough and repeat the process until all the dough is used.
Not To Knead – Flour both hands. Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of an apricot. Place the piece of dough in the palm of your hand. Make the “okay” sign with your other hand. Enclose the piece of dough with the “okay” sign and rotate gently over until a ball is formed. Pat gently to the height wanted and you have a biscuit. (This technique is good if you have added too much milk and the dough is sticky but still want that traditional biscuit shape.)
Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Above 5200 feet the time required will increase by 5 to 10 minutes so, just relax and enjoy the idea of fresh biscuits with lots of butter and honey for dessert.
