0 Buttery & Flaky Sourdough Biscuits

This is a simple & easy recipe that is a great way to use up any of your sourdough discard. Don't have starter? Then go here to make your own sourdough starter that is ready in 5-7 days, or try this Flaky Biscuit recipe that uses buttermilk. 

Look at those layers!

Now imagine taking a bite.... crispy & buttery outside, with a soft, tender inside,  & a hint of sourdough, just begging for a large pat of butter and sweet jam...or a drizzle of honey.

TIP: Weigh your flour, using a kitchen scale. Use too much, and your biscuits will be heavy & dense. Use too little, and they'll spread out and be thin. 

TIP: Cover your kitchen scale with a large plastic bag or plastic wrap, to keep it clean. 🙂

TIP: Grate your butter. This works better if your butter is COLD. Frozen butter is a little harder to grate, but cold refrigerated butter works well, too. I love this grater that doubles as a container.

Stir the COLD butter into the flour mixture. 

SOURDOUGH TIP: Use a 100% hydrated sourdough starter. This means an equal ratio of starter/flour/water by weight. For example, 2oz starter, 2oz water, 2 oz all purpose flour. For me, this pours out more easily and mixes into the flour more readily.

Stir until mixture looks like this. It's ok if there are a few dry pieces. This is a NO KNEAD dough, so you don't want to handle it too much or add too much flour. If dough is too dry and crumbly, you can add a touch of milk or starter until it looks like this...

Pat this dough onto a clean & lightly floured surface and fold it into thirds like a letter....1/3 to the middle...

 

...and the other third on top. This will create the LAYERS that are so desirable in a buttery, flaky biscuit.

Roll lightly into a 10"x4" rectangle that is 1" thick. Cut with a sharp knife, or sharp 2.5" biscuit cutter. I like cutting these into squares to avoid re-rolling the scraps, which can toughen the dough. 

Look at those LAYERS!

Hurry and brush these biscuits with cream or milk (makes 'em golden & crispy) and get those puppies into the oven while the dough is still COLD. The blast of heat from the oven will help these buttery biscuits RISE & create those lovely LAYERS.

Here are the biscuits, fresh out of the oven....

You gotta have one of them hot....with melted butter. Oh, so good!

Flaky Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

Yield: 6 biscuits

Author: Frieda Franchina, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min

This is a great way to use up any sourdough discard. I use 100% hydration* starter. It's important to weigh your ingredients and use COLD butter for best results. Enjoy alone, as a breakfast biscuit, or try any of the savory options below.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup COLD butter, grated or thinly sliced (salted or unsalted)
• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 3/4 teaspoon if using Salted butter)
• 1 cup (227 grams) sourdough starter discard (or unfed starter)
• 1 Tablespoon of milk or cream, to brush on top

Instructions:

How to Make Flaky Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet: lightly greasing, using parchment or silicone baking liner.
2. Grate the cold butter or thinly slice it. Set it aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the cold, grated butter to the flour mixture, coating all the butter pieces. 
5. Add the starter, mixing gently by hand or by spatula. Dough should come together, with a few dry pieces.
6. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and pat it down to 1" thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds: Lift one end of the dough and fold it to the middle. Lift the other end of the dough and fold it over on TOP of the first fold. 
7. Lightly flour and roll to a 10"x4" rectangle that is 1" thick. With a sharp knife, cut into 6 equal squares.  *For Round Biscuits: Roll into a circle and use a sharp 2.5" round cutter. Gently push the scraps together to form a single biscuit that is 1" thick. 
8. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet, about 2" apart. Brush tops of biscuits with milk or cream.
9. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Remove biscuits from oven & serve hot. Or cool, put into baggie and store at room temp for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note: If your starter is thick and your dough is dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of milk until the dough comes together. *100% hydration is equal parts of starter, water and flour by weight. 

Savory Biscuits: Before "folding" the biscuit dough into thirds, add any of the following - grated sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, cooked bacon pieces, freshly chopped chives, etc. Fold dough into thirds and roll into a 10"x4" rectangle. Cut into 6 squares or triangles & bake as directed.

0 Easy Crusty Irish Soda Bread!

After years of making many different yeasted breads, I finally made an Irish Soda Bread! Crusty, buttery, with a biscuit-like texture, this bread will pair well with this Irish Beef Stew or any soup.

Unlike my Flaky Buttery Biscuits, this Irish Soda bread has the addition of egg and sugar, making it slightly sweet with a tender interior. Buttermilk is used for this recipe, but you can make a soured milk with lemon juice + milk as a great substitute or use a powdered buttermilk.

It is important that you measure your flour carefully, and do not over-work or knead this dough too much, as it will toughen or make the loaf very dense. 

Tip: To measure your flour, stir the flour with your measuring cup. This will add air to your flour and help you measure it more accurately.

Take a scoop of flour, do not tap it down, but simply slide the flat edge of a table knife across the top. 

The other difference from the Flaky Biscuit recipe is that this recipe uses softened butter.

Break up the butter into tablespoons and mash it with a fork or pastry blender. The flour mixture should have lumps the size of peas.

After the buttermilk/egg mixture is poured onto the flour, use a fork or spatula to mix the dough until you don't see any dry flour.

This very much looks like a shaggy, dry biscuit dough, but it will come together, I promise!

Put this dough onto a lightly floured surface or onto your silicone baking sheet and form a ball by pushing the dough together.

Tip: Resist the urge to knead this dough. All you need to dough is push it together and roll it into a ball.

Use a pastry brush to brush the milk/butter mixture onto the outside of the dough. This will give the soda bread it's golden, crusty crumb.

Use a sharp knife to cut an "X" , 1/2" deep, on top of the dough. Don't cut very deep, like I did, otherwise your bread will "open up" like a flower.

Bake this in a preheated 375°F oven for 45-50 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the center of the dough that comes out clean will tell you it is done.

Crusty, buttery, with a tender interior. I warmed up a large bowl of Irish Beef Stew and enjoyed a wonderful lunch!

Easy Crusty Irish Soda Bread
adapted from MP Welty on Allrecipes
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 50 min
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose or bread flour, stirred and measured
2-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk=1 Tablespoon lemon juice+enough milk to equal 1 cup)
1 extra large egg (if using a smaller egg, use an additional Tablespoon of milk)
For top of loaf:
1 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon milk

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking pan or use parchment, or silicone baking sheet.
2. Prepare sour milk, if using. Mix lemon juice with milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
4. Cut butter into tablespoon portions and put into the flour. Using a fork or pastry blender, mash the butter pieces into the flour until no butter is visible and flour mixture has pea-sized lumps.
5. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk (or soured milk) and egg. Pour mixture into flour.
6. Stir with fork or spatula until no dry flour is visible.
7. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Push dough together and roll to form a ball. Resist the urge to knead the dough, as it will toughen it. Put ball of dough onto prepared baking sheet.
9. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
9. Mix the 1 Tablespoon of melted butter with 1 Tablespoon of milk. Brush the entire surface of the dough with mixture.
10. With a sharp knife, cut a large "X", 1/2" deep into the center of the loaf.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180° half way during baking, till toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool loaf of bread on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

Mix in options: 3/4 cup raisins, craisins, or currents. Can use a gluten free flour mixture, such as Red Mills Gluten free flour.

0 Easy English Muffins

The first time I made English muffins, they were part of a bread baking challenge from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, a cookbook by Peter Reinhart that a group of folks were baking every bread recipe and posting the results.

The results were not what I expected - a thick English muffin that lacked the characteristic 'holes, nooks, and crannies' that capture pools of butter, jams and jellies.

My second attempt with Alton Brown's recipe was much better - a thinner muffin that definitely had the nooks and crannies that I craved for a traditional English muffin.

The muffins were simple and easy to make - the only thing is you need to start the night before, much like the No Knead Artisan Bread recipe. I like the fact that no special equipment or mixers are needed for this quick bread.

Milk, oil, honey are mixed together ~ flour, salt and yeast are whisked and the wet ingredients are mixed into a loose, sticky batter. The sides are scraped down and the bowl is covered with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight - or up to 4 days.

The next day, the dough is taken out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking to wake up the yeast and take the chill off the dough.

Right before baking the English muffins, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda is added to warm water and gently folded into the wet batter. Letting this mixture sit for 10-15 min while heating up the griddle will further activate the dough and help create the bubbles that you want in your muffins.

Prepare a griddle or cast iron pan by heating it on medium high heat or to 300°F.
Spray oil to the insides of your crumpet/muffin rings or use large, wide mouth canning rings and dust the pan and insides of the rings with cornmeal. You will need at least 8 rings for this recipe. You can use egg rings, flan rings or even tin foil, folded into strips and fashioned into rings.

Spray the inside of a 1/3 cup measure or large ice cream scoop and fill the rings 2/3rds full.

Cook for 12 minutes ~ watch how nice and puffy these become!

Sprinkle the tops with additional cornmeal ...

Use a pair of tongs or a flat pancake spatula to flip the English muffin. Cook the other side for 12 minutes, till the dough is springy to the touch and golden brown.

Cool the English muffins in their rings for 2 minutes, then use a thin knife to pop them out of their rings.

Turn the muffins on their edge to cool on a wire cooling rack ~ this will help prevent sinking and shrinking. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Use a fork to poke the muffin all around the edge to open the muffin ~ this will help accentuate the nooks and crannies inside.

These English muffins are the perfect size to make Muffin Egg Sandwiches - Canadian bacon, cheese, scrambled eggs.... it was a winner for a breakfast dinner!

Take a look at these toasted English muffins ~ full of nooks a crannies .... just begging for lots of butter and your favorite jam or jelly.

English Muffins
from Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients
2 teaspoons honey
1 Tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk
2 2/3 cup bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons warm water
cornmeal for dusting
Spray oil for the rings
8 rings are needed: wide mouth canning rings, muffin, egg, crumpet or flan rings will work.

Instructions
Day before:
Mix milk, oil and honey. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast.
Mix in the milk mixture to form a sticky dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, up to 4 days.

Next day:
2 hours before cooking, take the dough out of the fridge to warm up.
When ready to bake, heat your griddle or cast iron pan to 300° or over medium-high heat.
Right before baking, mix 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the warm water.
Gently fold the baking soda mixture into the bread batter. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes.

Spray the inside of rings with spray oil. Dust the rings with cornmeal. Sprinkle cornmeal onto the griddle. Place the prepared rings onto the griddle.

Spray the inside of a 1/3 measure cup or large ice cream scoop with oil. Fill it with the batter and pour into the prepared rings - 2/3rds full.

Cook for 12 minutes, till golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with additional cornmeal, and turn the muffins over with tongs or flat spatula. Cook for an additional 12 minutes. If the muffins are turning brown before the 12 minutes, the heat is too hot and the insides may be doughy. Turn the heat down if this is happening.

Place cooked muffins on a cooling rack, on their sides, for 30 minutes.

Fork split, toast and enjoy!

3 Spinach Tortillas

Cinco de Mayo is less than a month away!  If you haven't made your own tortillas, NOW is the time to make them!

If you have never made flour tortillas, start with my Homestyle Flour tortilla recipe.  This recipe is so versatile; I have adapted it to make Wheat Tortillas, Savory Taco tortillas, Smokey Chipotle tortillas and even Chocolate tortillas.  Yes, you heard right ~ Chocolate tortillas! 

A student in one of my bread making classes asked me if I have ever made Spinach tortillas and no, I have not made them ... till now. 

The recipe for spinach tortillas is different than my home style tortilla recipe; it has waaaaay less water and after making them, I understand why.  Spinach has a lot of moisture in it and doesn't need all the extra water.

First, fresh spinach is finely chopped (use a food processor if you have one) and put into a skillet over med-low heat with 1 Tablespoon of water.  It only takes about 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt and cook.

The spinach is added to a bowl that has flour, garlic powder, salt and oil.  Knead or stir the flour for only three minutes.  Form the dough into balls.  Cover with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. 

Now, this is where this recipe is different from the other tortilla recipes I have made.  This dough is very wet and tends to stick to the counter while rolling.  You will have to dust your work surface lightly with some flour to roll it out.

Cook the tortillas in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, turning when you see bubbles begin to form on the surface.

Put the cooked tortillas in a tortilla keeper or in a clean kitchen towel.  This keeps the tortillas warm and pliable, ready to eat!

Verdict?  I'm not a spinach fan, so I had to rely on the comments from family ~ they loved the clean, fresh spinach taste and enjoyed them as sandwich wraps. 

Spinach Tortillas
(4x6 recipe download)     (full page printable recipe)

5 Savory Taco Tortillas

If you haven't made your own flour tortillas, now is the time to try! 

When you make these thin, light, and soft tortillas, you will never go back to store bought tortillas.

After making flour tortillas a few times, you will want to try making Whole Wheat,  Smokey Chipotle or even Chocolate tortillas.

Today's recipe combines the best of both worlds:  homemade Taco Seasoning and Homestyle Flour Tortillas.

 Frozen tomato paste is dissolved in hot water and poured over the flour, baking soda, salt and taco seasoning.

 The dough is kneaded by hand for three minutes, covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rest for 15-20 minutes.

The dough is rolled into golf sized balls, 9 equal portions, or if you are lucky enough to own a kitchen scale:  1.5 ounce portions.

Each ball is rolled thinly...

 ... and cooked on a nonstick skillet.  It is so fun to see the bubbles come up!

I keep my tortillas warm and flexible in a tortilla keeper.  Wrapping your hot tortillas in a clean kitchen towel works well, too.

These soft, savory tortillas are mild; not as spicy as the Smokey Chipotle tortillas and will be a hit with kids and adults alike.

I hope you give making flour tortillas a try for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.  It's well worth it!

Savory Taco Flour Tortillas

(4x6 printable recipe card)     (full page printable recipe)

12 Chocolate Crunch Quesadillas! **500th Post**

Ever since I tried these at Sam's Club, I've been dreaming about making chocolate tortillas.

Yes, that's right, chocolate tortillas.

This is a dark chocolate flour tortilla that has endless possibilities for a dessert.  Originally created by Deer Creek Foods based in Utah, they have a corner market for gourmet style tortillas.

Can't find these tortillas at your store?  Don't worry, I came up with a recipe for you!

It all starts with Ghirardelli's sweet ground chocolate and cocoa.  This canister has recipes for brownies, frosting and even a hot cocoa beverage. 

If you can't find this product, you may have to experiment with dissolving chocolate squares into your hot water or using a Dutch processed cocoa powder.  Do not use the Hershey's cocoa.  It is too bitter for this recipe.  I like using this powder because it is easy to mix in with the flour, salt and baking powder.

Hot water is poured over the flour mixture and mixed by hand for no more than 3 minutes.

After a 20 minute rest, the dough is shaped into 1.5 oz (golf ball size) portions.

The dough is very soft and pliable, easily rolled thin with a rolling pin. 

Each tortilla is cooked over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble, about a minute.

It is flipped over and cooked on the other side.  I like to keep my tortillas warm and pliable in a tortilla keeper.  A clean kitchen towel works well, too.

To make Chocolate Crunch Quesadillas, spread each tortilla with Nutella.  I have made a chocolate hazelnut spread that is even better than Nutella, in my opinion.

Top half with shredded sweetened coconut and sliced almonds.

Fold in half, and cut into thirds for wedges.

I bet you can think of a zillion things to make with these chocolate tortillas....

Chocolate Tortillas
(4x6 printable recipe)     (full page printable recipe)

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