Biscuits in the Oven, Gonna Watch ‘Em Rise
I can’t make biscuits without singing a song by our favorite children’s singer (Raffi) called Biscuits in the Oven. It’s a catchy tune that makes biscuit making a lot more fun.
I’ve got lots of recipes for scones and fancy biscuits, but sometimes simpler is better. This recipe is for plain old baking powder biscuits, which are cheap and easy to make, and they’re equally delicious with jam or butter, alongside a cup of tea, or a steaming bowl of soup.
Baking Powder Biscuits (from Mollie Katzen’s Still Life With Menu):
- 3 cups unbleached white flour (I’ve used half whole wheat pastry flour with good results)
- a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons cold butter (I also use Earth Balance spread)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour milk (3/4 cup milk with 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar added)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place dry ingredients in a bowl or a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cut in the butter – either in thin slices or small pieces. Process (or, if using a bowl, cut with a pastry cutter or with two forks) until the butter pieces are uniformly integrated and the mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Add the buttermilk, yogurt, or sour milk and process or mix for a few seconds, or until the dough holds together. Turn out and knead briefly. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness for smaller biscuits, or to 1/2 or 3/4 thickness for heftier ones. Cut with a glass that has a 2 to 2 1/2 inch rim (or you can use a round cookie cutter). Arrange fairly close toether on the lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in the middle of a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes (thinner ones) or for 12 to 15 minutes (thicker ones).
There’s something so comforting about warming the house on a cold winter morning with a hot oven and the smell of baking biscuits.
Those look so yummy!
I am such a fiend for bread products, including dumplings, biscuits, cookies, etc. I just told DH we’re going to have to have biscuits with dinner tomorrow. Thanks so much for posting this!
Thanks, Chelee!
Caroline – I’m a sucker for baked goods, too. I hope you enjoy them!
I love biscuits fresh from the oven! There is a need to make double batches in our house due to the elusive biscuit snatcher.Our favorite on occasion additive to the baking soda biscuits is a nice tablespoon of garlic powder. What can I say… we love our garlic!
(looks yummy with your jams on.)
Plain baking powder biscuits with butter and fresh jam have always been a favorite in our family. Real comfort food you can’t go wrong with. Yours look delicious.
So good, Cheryl. And, do you find the Earth Balance is suitable in the biscuits, would you think it would work in pastries as a substitute for butter as well? And, I have a pantry filled with glass jars and labeled with my label maker! π (Did you find the Tracey Ullman knitting book yet?)
Oh man – I can almost taste them. Yummm.
Tammie – Oooh, garlic powder biscuits would be great with chili! We’re garlic fanatics too.
Carla – Comfort food, indeed.
Lu – I use Earth Balance in almost all of my baking. As for pastries, I guess it would depend on what you were making. I’ve used it in pie crusts (for quiche), but I’m not too fussy about the results if it’s just us. They do make non-hydrogenated shortening, which might work better (it doesn’t taste buttery, though).
I’ve got the knitting book on hold, but there’s a waiting list!
Debbie – If only Blogger had a scratch n’ sniff feature! π
Love the second photo… because what is better than homemade jam? Several flavors of homemade jam! Love it.
I love homemade buscuits!
Still Life with Menu is one of my favorite cookbooks. The biscuits look beautiful.
I use this receipe and a after they rise, but before they brown, I like to generously brush them with a melted butter and honey mixture. Yum