This has been The Year of the Pie for me as I stretched to improve my skills in this area. It was also The Year of the Great Pie Failure as more and more of my efforts ended in disaster. From my attempts to decorate pies with cutouts on top to my expansion beyond my comfort zone of fruit fillings, I haven't had a pie turn out in months. This includes my plans for Thanksgiving. This month's Shoo Fly Pie was a spectacular fail, and my buttermilk pie was only slightly better. Failure is a necessary part of the learning process however disappointing it may be.
But, I can still make a mean biscuit. So on this morning after Thanksgiving, with leftover turkey and gravy to be eaten, I redeemed myself with an old classic from my baking repertoire - the buttermilk biscuit from my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. And, really, is there a better way to have Thanksgiving leftovers for breakfast than on a biscuit? I think not.
You will need:
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Mix the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter using your pastry knife until the mixture is crumbly. Add the milk and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Then knead the dough by hand until it comes together. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out. Fold it up and roll it out again and repeat this step one more time. On the final roll out, your dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter (round, square, or heart-shaped) to cut your biscuits, reforming and re-rolling the remaining dough until all of it has been used.
Place the cut biscuits on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet leaving a little space between them. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. Cool on the sheet on a wire rack before serving with butter, gravy, or whatever.
Happy Thanksgiving!