Biscuits

Biscuits are kind of a big deal in my family. Second only to pie. My grandma or my mom making biscuits for breakfast has always been a very exciting occasion. And sometimes an adventure when fighting over the last one with 5 younger siblings.

The legacy started with my Great-Grandma Sorenson who lived on a farm in a tiny little community in central Utah with her husband and two daughters. She would make lunch for Great-Grandpa and the other farmers who were working on their farm that day. She quickly became famous for her biscuits (and her pie...but that's another post) and the farmers would always look forward to working on the Sorenson farm so that they could eat her cooking.

A few months ago I decided that I too needed to acquire this biscuit making skill and tried out a couple of recipes. They were all failures. Or, maybe not failures, but they definitely did not compare to the legendary biscuits I had been raised on. So then I did what I should have done in the first place and consulted with my mom. All it took was one Skype video call, while both making biscuits at the same time, to learn the family secrets to incredibly high, flaky, fluffy biscuits. Which I will now unveil to you lucky readers. :)


Sorenson Girl Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter*
1 1/2** cups milk*** -- I usually use the buttermilk leftover from making butter

Heat oven to 450.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
Cut very cold butter (I usually use frozen) into 1/4" cubes and then,using a pastry blender, cut into flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs (don't overwork -- you'll end up with flat biscuits).

On a sheet of wax paper (approximately 15" long) add a thick layer of flour (about 1/2 cup). Then, pour the milk into the bowl and mix until just barely moistened (it will be quite liquid-y). Pour batter out onto floured wax paper.

Add a sprinkling of flour on top of batter and pat out into a rectangle about 1/2" thick (your hands will get very messy). Then, using a side of the wax paper, flip the rectangle over onto itself and pat back out to 1/2" thickness. Repeat this process once more.

Then, using a biscuit cutter (or a small juice glass), cut out round pieces of dough and place so they are touching on a baking stone. You will cut out two circles for each biscuit and stack them.

Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam. Or make a sausage biscuit with sausage and cheddar cheese.



Then, prepare for your mind to be blown. These things are -- not even exaggerating -- like crack to me. I can't stop. So, I always halve this recipe when making just for our family which yields about 5 biscuits. This way, I can only have two (when really, I want all 5). Growing up, my mom would double this recipe in order for everyone to get one with just a few leftover to fight over.

*Great-Grandma used straight cream skimmed from the top of their fresh milk. No wonder they were so good!

**This is the secret -- the liquid is double what is called for in other recipes. Also, the folding over. Some recipes call for kneading the dough which is just nuts because that makes a tough, not-flaky biscuit. Tough and non-flaky are not words that should ever be used in the same sentence as biscuit.

***If you want to use cultured buttermilk, decrease baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Cultured buttermilk is also a bit thicker than regular milk so add an extra tablespoon.