Almost Southern Biscuits

 

Almost Southern. I guess that's how you could describe me. And my biscuits. Growing up in Northern Virginia wasn't quite a Southern experience. But having Southern parents from South Alabama (LA as it is referred to...Lower Alabama) gave me a rich childhood full of visits to the south and plenty of grits, okra, field peas, bbq, greens, fried chicken, dove and quail, catfish, hopin johns, boiled peanuts, banana pudding and of course, biscuits.

 

I still love Southern food and culture. And am grateful for trips to Richmond, Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh and the coastal towns of North and South Carolina over the years and the foodie experiences I have had in those places.

 

Here is my modified biscuit recipe. Maybe slightly healthier for you than the traditional biscuit, but still tender and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost Southern Biscuits (This is Alton Brown’s recipe with the substitution of coconut oil for butter and lard)

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 T of coconut oil microwaved 15 seconds
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled or 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp vinegar added

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a spoon, mix softened coconut oil into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt too much.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

·        Heather’s note: I use a juice glass to make my circle biscuits. They pop out easily to a baking sheet this way, I think.

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Add some scrambled eggs from the hens in my yard and some turkey sausage, oj and coffee and we have a weekend breakfast with a small Southern influence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone has time to have at least one relaxed breakfast this weekend.

Later gator.