Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Biscuit theory

If you want biscuits, you have several choices. You can have biscuit mix biscuits, whompin' (canned) biscuits, frozen biscuits, or you can make them from scratch yourself.

Of the store bought varieties, I personally like whompin' biscuits for taste. I am not a fan of dry biscuit mixes, for making biscuits or anything else for that matter. I soured on the taste of bisquick years ago.

Not that I consider whompin' biscuits to be really biscuits. They are good, don't get me wrong, but to me they are not really biscuits. Although I'm not quite sure what they really are. But they are good in a pinch when one wants something like biscuits. They are especially good fried. Peel the can, whomp in on the counter, separate the biscuit-like thingies, and fry them gently in a small amount of butter. Yummy.

I have had the frozen biscuits, and they are good, but I like to avoid some of the questionable ingredients in processed foods.

The good news: really good homemade biscuits are quick and easy!

One thing to remember when making biscuits is that you are doing the exact opposite thing as what you are doing when making bread, rolls, ect. When making bread you will be kneading the dough until its smooth as a babys bottom. You work the dough with your hands, and by the time you are done, every grain of flour in the dough is familiar with the lines on your hands.

With biscuits, you want to handle the dough as if you have an aversion to getting your hands dirty. Now you will get your hands dirty. If you're like me, you will have flour and dough from head to feet. But I'm just gifted that way. I only have to look at flour to have a fair amount of it in my hair. But its worth it.

Anyway, picture a ball of well kneaded bread dough sitting on the counter. Its smooth and elastic, ready to become a beautiful loaf of bread. It's very proud. Now lets add a mass of biscuit dough next to the bread dough in our mental picture. The bread dough would move away, if it could, to the far corner of the counter-top. The biscuit dough is ready to become biscuits, but you wouldn't know that at first glance. Its not smooth, its a shaggy mess, barely holding together. You could work it a little more, to make it smoother, but don't. Its ready to be biscuits!

But the bread dough need not feel so haughty. His beauty takes time and effort. The biscuit dough will be ready to go into the oven before the oven is ready to receive them!

Get that oven set to 425*! Biscuit recipe coming soon!

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