TWD: Sweet Cream Biscuits

Got 5 minutes? Then you have enough time to mix, roll and cut these biscuits and pop them into the oven. They are that quick.

I was very pleased to see these as a TWD selection this month. I love biscuits. I was raised on biscuits. We have biscuits at every family function. Small fights break out over who gets the last one. We're biscuit people.

I made these particular biscuits for the first time last summer, and have probably baked them a dozen or more times since. They are just so simple, so fast, so delicious.

That first time I made them I was skeptical, I'll admit. I didn't think they would have the satisfactory fluffy interior, the crispy edges that constitute the perfect biscuit. It was one of the most magical oven transformations I have ever seen. I continue to be awed every time I bake them. I won't say that these are the perfect biscuit - though they're close - but they are perfect for when you're short on time, and considering the minimal effort that is put into these, the result is fairly spectacular.

These biscuits are light, tall and fluffy, with a melt-in-your mouth creamy and tender interior. The edges are crispy, and though they are more delicate than a butter biscuit, they will still stand up to a good drenching in honey.

I omitted the sugar - biscuits shouldn't be sweet, in my opinion - and upped the salt a bit, and used white whole wheat flour. I also used closer to 1 1/4 cup cream - the upper end of the range Dorie gives in the recipe.

These will never replace a butter biscuit for me, but they certainly hold their own, and will continue to be a regular breakfast goody in my house!

Thanks to Melissa from Love at First Bite for hosting this week. This fantastic and simple recipe can be found on her blog.

TWD: Sweet Potato Biscuits (one week late)

We're biscuit people, my family. I grew up eating them every Sunday along with fried green tomatoes and cheese grits. We never celebrate a birthday or holiday without biscuits, and will use pretty much any excuse to whip up a batch. I was so intrigued and excited about making these Sweet Potato Biscuits, but things kept getting in the way.

This week we were supposed to make a brownie torte, but I failed to read the recipe until 9:00 last night, at which point I realized that I was missing several key ingredients. So, I thought I'd make the biscuits that I was unable to make last week.

I knew from reading people's blogs that there were problems with the dough coming together, and with the biscuits rising. I used fresh sweet potato that I baked then mashed, and just under a cup was nowhere near enough moisture in my dough. I added about 2/3 cup of heavy cream a little at a time until my dough came together. It worked perfectly!

These biscuits were fluffy and delicious, though I must say, I kept thinking there was cheese in them because of their orange color and the little flecks of sweet potato, and I was confused every time I took a bite. The sweet potato flavor is not terribly strong, though it is there. They are barely sweet, and delicious just as they are, though my son enjoyed a couple fresh out of the oven with a little honey drizzled on them. Next time I make them I'll add more nutmeg, because I couldn't really taste it and I wanted to.

Thanks to Erin of Prudence Pennywise for this delicious - not to mention quick and easy - choice. You can find the biscuit recipe on her blog.

I'll try to make this week's torte before next Tuesday...

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

I'm not sure I have the words to adequately express how much I love these cinnamon rolls. I have made them twice in less than a week if that gives you an idea. I discovered them on the wonderful blog Ezra Pound Cake, and they have fast become a favorite around here.

The thing that is so wonderful about them is that they don't have yeast, so you don't have to wait around for hours for your dough to rise before you can enjoy them. Don't get me wrong, yeasted cinnamon rolls are divine, but I love cinnamon rolls, and these I can make on a regular basis.

These are made from a biscuit dough, but even that part is ridiculously easy - there's no butter! All you have to do is mix flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in some cream. That simple! The result is a biscuit that melts in your mouth, and has a lightly sweet creamy flavor. Really, they're unbelievable.

Once again, I topped them with my maple caramel sauce, making this the third time in a week that I've made it. Oh my, this may become a problem...

Oh, two other changes I made: I used 2 tablespoons of agave in the dough and palm sugar in the filling.

Here is the recipe for the cinnamon rolls. Please make them soon.

SMS: Strawberry-Ruby Grapefruit Preserves + Dorie's Cream Biscuits

The task this week for Sweet Melissa Sundays was to make preserves. I've never made preserves, but it seemed simple enough when reading through the recipe. Though they didn't turn out quite as I expected them to...

I decided to make these without refined sugar, so that my 2 1/2 year old could partake. I was pretty much out of agave, so I used what I had left, along with some maple syrup for the sweetener. I sweetened to taste, but there was no more than 4 tablespoons in all.

Things seemed to be going well at the outset, everything was bubbling along nicely, her it started thickening but the apples were still rather firm, and the strawberries weren't breaking down much. I mashed everything as best as I could, and kept on cooking. Pretty soon, there was hardly any liquid left, so I added some water and put a lid on it to cook it more. I stirred it every couple of minutes, but it started to scorch a but, so I decided it was done enough, and I put it in a jar. I think this is probably a result of not using sugar, as it brings out the juices in fruits, and mine was not nearly as liquidy as other peoples'. Also, it didn't make much. Everyone said this recipe made a ton of preserves, so I cut it in half, but I didn't even get a pint...

It was delicious, however! We ate it this morning on some biscuits (which I'll get to in a second) and my son couldn't get enough. He said "I love your home-made jam, mommy", and gobbled up 2 biscuits.

These biscuits are amazing. They are the sweet cream biscuits from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, and they don't have any butter in them! I'll admit, I was a skeptic - what is a biscuit without butter! - but I decided to have faith in Dorie and give them a shot. I am so glad I did, because they take about 3 minutes to put together: mix flour, baking soda and salt, stir in heavy cream, roll, cut and bake, and they are delicious. So delicious! They are light and fluffy and melt in your mouth. The only change I made was to omit the sugar. I will certainly be making these over and over - I've already made them twice in 3 days...

Thanks to Margot of Effort to Deliciousness for picking the preserves recipe, which you can find here. Take a look at the SMS blogroll for more sweet strawberry goodness!

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Strawberry Shortcakes

This week's recipe for SMS was chosen by Wendy of the fabulous blog Pinkstripes, and boy did she pick a winner!!! 

I was really excited to make these, and they didn't disappoint. They are basically biscuits filled and topped with strawberries and whipped cream, but oh my are they delicious. The shortcake is lightly sweet and contains lemon zest to make them extra special - I thought that was one of the things that really made this recipe. 

All of the components are really simple to put together, and fast as well - the whole prep took about 15 minutes. These will be something I'll be making again and again - especially as strawberries come into season in the coming weeks! 

I substituted agave syrup for sugar in all elements of the recipe so that my sugar-free 2 1/2 year old could eat them, and they turned out just beautifully. Thanks for the great pick Wendy! Please visit Wendy's blog for the recipe. If you'd like to see the other SMS baker's creations, look here.

Biscuits with Blueberry Compote

I'm very excited to be posting my first item on my new food blog!

These are technically biscuits, though scones would work well in this recipe too. Truth be told, I was intending to make scones, but was a little spaced out and ended up forgetting to sweeten my dough.... So I whipped up the blueberry compote to add a little pizazz to the dish. Boy, did it do the trick! It was so delicious and so easy. If only I could get such great results every time I'm forgetful!

Biscuits adapted from Heaven's Banquet by Miriam Hospodar

3 cups unbleached white flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400. Butter a baking sheet.

Mix dry ingredients together. Add butter, and work in with a pastry cutter until mixture looks like coarse meal. Add buttermilk and water. Mix until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated and dough is formed. 

Roll out on floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter - or - separate into 2 balls, flatten flatten by hand to about 3/4 inch thick and cut into 6ths with sharp knife. Place biscuits on prepared sheet. Glaze with buttermilk. 

Bake until top is golden brown - 15-20 min. 

Makes 12-18 biscuits

Blueberry Compote

I just kind of threw this together, so measurements are approximate. 

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on med low heat for about 20 min or until blueberries break down and mixture thickens.

Serve warm over biscuits. 

Enjoy!