“[Crisco] ain’t just for frying. You ever get a sticky something stuck in your hair,like gum?…That’s right, Crisco. Spread this on a baby’s bottom, you won’t even know what diaper rash is…shoot, I seen ladies rub it under they eyes and on they husband’s scaly feet…Clean the goo from a price tag, take the squeak out a door hinge. Lights get cut off, stick a wick in it and burn it like a candle….And after all that, it’ll still fry your chicken.” -The Help
There’s nothing that crisco, cast iron, and love can’t cure so while I am navigating some challenging times in the loss of loved ones, adapting to the new way of teaching while having my awesome first grader with me, building a home, and so on, I will use the magic three to push me through. Now, that’s a good run on sentence! This week I put my stress and love into buttermilk biscuits while my husband played with P and LuLu.
There’s many tips and tricks that make a good biscuit. From trial and error, learned knowledge, and passed on advice I’ve learned that you ALWAYS use cold butter, don’t overwork, and use a well seasoned cast iron skillet (well seasoned meaning used often, not actually seasoning just in case there’s cast iron newbies on here). I use my hands to mix but you can use a pastry cutter or food processor. I’m an old fashioned granny in this sense…hands are best. I like using crisco and butter…it gives great texture to the biscuits. I also put my crisco in the freezer as well. The colder the fat is, the more flaky your biscuits will be. Don’t forget to slather your cast iron with some crisco as well!
I’m a chronic Pinterest(aholic) so most of my ideas come from looking through other ideas, using my knowledge of past trial and error, and some experimentation. While looking through some recipes I came across several that used mayo. Yes, I said mayo. I decided, “ok, I’ll either puke or love it”. Spoiler alert, I love it. I only use it on the top. I use this same method on grilled cheese instead of butter. I said what I said and I shan’t repent!
I use a biscuit cutter but you can use other items like the lid of a mason jar or the top of a glass. I also try and use every bit of biscuit dough so I end up with one really ugly last biscuit. You’ll notice the poor fellow in the middle. Bake at 365 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden brown. I like 365 degrees because it is also, what I believe, is the perfect temp to bake my bacon. Yes, I bake my bacon in the oven and it’s beautiful and crisp every time.
Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup chilled crisco plus more for greasing the pan
3 tbsp chilled and cubed butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp mayo for brushing top of biscuits
Directions:
1) Pre-heat your oven to 365 degrees.
2) Chill butter and crisco in freezer (if you can do this before you start, it’s a good idea).
3) Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl.
4) Grease your cast iron with crisco. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet you can use a sheet tray with parchment paper.
5) Add butter and crisco to your dry ingredients and work with your hands until the fat is about pea sized (much like making pie crust). Do not over work.
6) Add buttermilk and mix just until ingredients come together.
7) Turn out onto a floured surface and form into a disk about 1 inch thick.
8) Make sure you flour your biscuit cutter as well before you begin to cut out your biscuits. When you’ve used all the dough, form the dough again and repeat until all the dough is used.
9) Brush the tops with mayo…trust me…it’ll be ok. In fact, it’ll be better than ok!
10) Bake at 365 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Have fun and enjoy!
Family STEAM Lab 