Friday, May 20, 2011

50/50 Biscuits

It has been about 10 months since I started my blog.  I started out privately blogging and have been making use of the Internet as well as cookbooks for my recipes.  Now, it is time I put my own creativity to work and make some recipes that I can call my own.

This one I created some time ago because my husband needed a breakfast to carry to work due to his long commute.  We usually split these in half and fill with egg and sausage to make a breakfast sandwich. 

The texture of the biscuits are a little bit different from the standard.  Perhaps because they have 2 types of leavening ingredients, baking powder as well as yeast.  They hold together quite well and are not as crumbly as regular biscuits.   Another unusual thing is that they do not rise in warmth, they are actually refrigerated overnight prior to baking. This recipe makes about 10-12 biscuits, but the amount will vary depending on the size of the cutter and how thick you roll the dough.

50/50 Biscuits
by Flourtrader

Ingredients
3/4 to 1 cup of buttermilk
1 package of rapid rise yeast
2 tbs cold butter
3-4 tbs melted butter (for dipping dough prior to baking)
1/4 cup cold shortening
1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups self rising flour

The night before:
 In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and set aside.

Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening and 2 tbs of cold butter.  Once the mixture becomes crumbly, add 3/4 cup of buttermilk and yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon or a large fork, toss mixture together forming a soft dough.  If mixture is too dry, add additional buttermilk, blending until the right consistency is achieved.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill overnight.

The next day:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit.  Prepare a few baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.  Also, have your bowl of melted butter ready.

Dust a smooth surface with flour and roll out the dough to 3/4-1 inch thickness.  Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or squares with a knife.  Once all the dough has been cut, dip each piece into the bowl of butter and flip, coating all sides.  Then place on baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake in oven until lightly browned, about 10-20 minutes.  They usually take about 15 minutes in my oven.  Remove from oven and place each biscuit on a wire rack to cool.  Should you want a toastier looking biscuit, put oven on broil and place pan back in oven.  Watch closely and remove when desired color is met.