Baking Powder Biscuits (and gravy)

Growing up, my dad would often make us baking powder biscuits on Saturday mornings. We all loved them- airy, tender, delicious. Now that I have a home of my own and can no longer rely on my dad's superb baking skills, I decided to learn how to make these biscuits myself. I went through several batches and phone calls of "Why didn't mine fluff up like yours?" and "They're not flaky, just crumbly-what went wrong?" My dad talked me through them several times and now I think I can make a pretty mean biscuit, although I still think my dad's are the best! They are equally good with butter and jam or sausage gravy.

Biscuits Supreme (adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening (I use a mix of both- they have different melting points. Butter tastes better but melts faster, shortening not so tasty, but takes longer to melt.)
2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in butter or shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add milk all at once; stir just till moistened. Do NOT over-stir, you may have small pockets that are wetter/dryer- it will all come together when you knead it.

2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by gently folding and pressing dough 10 to 12 strokes or till nearly smooth. (I do this by folding the dough in half toward me and pressing down. Then turn the dough clockwise a quarter turn and repeat.) Again, do not over-knead!! Knead only until the dough is smooth. The more you knead, the tougher the biscuit. If necessary after kneading lightly re-flour your surface so that the dough does not stick while you are rolling it out. Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2 in. thickness. Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2 in. biscuit cutter (or whatever size you want).  You want a clean, sharp cut. Compressing the edges on the biscuit will not allow them to expand and puff. (You can also use cookie cutters but make sure the edges are fairly sharp.) Continue patting together the scraps and cutting until dough is all used. (For the last biscuit, I generally just squish all the last bits together, without cutting it.)
3. Place biscuits 1 in. apart on an ungreased or silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and serve hot. Do not let the biscuits sit on the baking sheet as the bottoms will continue to cook and brown. Makes ~10 biscuits.

I use half butter and half shortening.

Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Make a well in the center and add milk all at once.

Stir just till moistened. (This picture may even be a little over-stirred)

Knead 10-12 strokes till smooth.

Roll to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into biscuits.

Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

Pat scraps together or re-roll and cut again.

Bake and Enjoy!!

My husband loves Biscuits and Gravy, so here is our recipe for Sausage Gravy. It is infinitely better than any packet mix you can buy- and tastes oh so good with the biscuits!

Sausage Gravy (from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/4 cup 1% or whole milk (we have used all kinds- skim makes a thinner gravy- not as rich)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, reserving 1 TBS drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
2. Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts. Add flour; stirring until smooth. Cook one minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk;cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook, whisking constantly, until thoroughly heated.  Yield: 3 3/4 cups.