Tuesday, December 29, 2009

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT RECIPE!

The recipe I am using as a starting point is this one:

Ingredients Needed:
4 cups of bisquick baking mix
1 tsp baking soda 
8 TBSP Fresh Farm Butter (from my local farmer's market)
4 TBSP Butter Flavored Crisco (the ones that are in sticks)
2 cups of Fresh Buttermilk
1 Tbsp of sugar
Start off by setting your oven to 450 degrees.
















First, I put the baking mix in a large mixing bowl, add sugar & baking soda.























Then I measured out the 4TBSP butter and 4TBSP Crisco to add to the baking mix.































Adding the butter and Crisco to the baking mix and sort of squishing it between my fingers. You want it to feel crumbly. I cut up the butter and crisco into small chunks to make it easier.
















Once I had the mix to the consistency I was comfortable with, I made a deep well in the bowl so that I could pour in the buttermilk and cover it with the floury crumbles. (okay... when you do this well, be sure that the bottom of the bowl is not showing. It should be a flour well.)
















Now, pour your buttermilk into the well!
















Here's what it looks like with 2 cups of buttermilk in it
















Okay... now you just start covering the buttermilk with the sides of the flour and really get your hands in it!!! Start mixing it up! It is going to be wet and sticky. If it feels too sticky add a handful of bisquick!
Now... you are going to want to put a bit more than a dusting of bisquick on the counter you are rolling on. I put like a whole cup of bisquick down... but it really depends on the consistency of your dough.
















Once you put the dough on the center of the bisquick, fold it in on itself a few times. Just fold and and press, fold and press. Once you have done this about 5 or 6 times, you are going to roll it out to be about one inch thick. (I never get a perfect circle doing this, but I guess that is the goal, since you are cutting out circles)
















Okay... now it is time to cut out your biscuits! (Here is a set of biscuit cutters that I don't have, but want! http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku3697745/ I got mine from Target or somewhere, but hey, honestly, a cup opening will do!) You can cut them any size or shape you want! I usually do them smaller because my boys eat this with nutella in the morning for breakfast!
















When I put my buscuits on a the cookie sheet, I dust the sheet with flour, so the come up easily. Not wasting money on parchment that way and your saving a tree! Okay... so when they are on the pan, they can be touching, that is fine. Fit as many as you can on your cookie sheet. (Sometimes I brush melted butter now and then again when they come out) Then pop them in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Really you are looking for a light golden brown on top.
















Now is when you need the other 4 TBSP of butter. Melt it and get a pastry brush or even a grill brush. When the buscuits come out of the oven, brush them with the melted butter and put them in something to serve! I am telling you, even cold these are oh so GOOD!!!!!










INSPIRED TO COOK!

Okay... well obviously, me and every other foodie out there, was totally inspired by the movie Julie & Julia! Not only that, but about a year or so ago I tried out for The Next Food Network Star and obviously didn't get picked. But they loved my idea and said I needed a blog and a cooking class... so, I decided what better than a test kitchen! Hopefully I will have videos to share along the way too! I really want to be able to get into some kitchens and have some family secret recipes to share! And I have a lot of my own to share too and would love to test some of yours!

Send me your recipes, send me links, tell me what new books you have bought and what recipes you want tested... I will test them! Or if you know someone that has AMAZING family recipes, have them comment on here and I will contact them about doing a spot on the blog!

I love trying new recipes, but more than that I love sharing really good ones!
Let me be your test kitchen!

Okay foodies!!!! Lets start testing!