July 26, 2010

It's Flour, I Promise

While baking and cooking I can be quite messy. I do clean up after myself but during the process I tend to get ingredients all over. My dog helps with the floor but the counters have to be washed down pretty good when I’m done.

Sunday I made biscuits and had flour from here to Texas cutting out doughy circles and placing them in a pan. (I’ll give y’all my biscuit recipe just in case you want to give it a try.)

Today, Monday, my daughter had a dentist appointment and when I took my wallet out of my purse I noticed white powder all over it… even inside where the money and cards go. I’m thinking what the heck is all of this? Then I remembered I had my purse on the barstool while I was slinging flour Sunday.

I noticed the woman at the counter kept giving me weird looks while I’m wiping dust off of my medical card but she didn’t say anything. Later I was thinking and wondered if she thought it might be something other than baking ingredients?

Anyway when I got home I took the vacuum cleaner to my purse and cleaned it all out. Next time I won’t put my purse in the kitchen.

I think I need to do like those construction guys that hang tarp over doors to keep the dust enclosed. Just kidding, I’m not quite that bad.

Biscuits

5 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 pkg. yeast
2 T. water
3 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put yeast and water in a cup or small bowl stir with fork until dissolved.

Sift dry ingredients in large bowl, cut in shortening with pastry cutter or fork, add buttermilk and yeast together. Mix well. Use fingers to make sure you get all the dry ingredients mixed with the moist.

Sprinkle flour on counter top and fold twice. The key to good biscuits is not to over knead them. Just fold it over once and then one more time. This will make those flakes you see in good biscuits. Either roll or mash dough out to about ¾ to an inch thick.

Cut with biscuit cutter or glass. Place on greased or sprayed baking pan with about a little space in between.

Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes. You want them to be golden brown.

If you don’t have buttermilk, and I almost never do, you can take a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for part of the milk amount. This will give that tart taste without having to buy a container of buttermilk no one drinks anyway.