Almost Momma's Biscuits

Nothing harks one back to childhood better than aromas from the kitchen.  Nothing is more fitting to revive this blog than homage to Mom.  For over forty years I have tried to recreate her biscuits.  Even side by side with her in her kitchen, no go.  She had a deft hand and measured nothing with anything other than finger tips and 'eyeing' it.  After a few months of marriage, I was home to visit.  As if that wasn't strange enough, I took notes while she made biscuits noting each hand movement and addition of ingredients.  It was all about the flour, the buttermilk, a hot buttered glass pan and her magic touch.  She convinced me mine didn't turn out because I hadn't used Martha White Flour.  Tried that, no go. There was still something.  What was it?  I got  her to do it all again, after all there were more people in the house.  None would go wasted, for sure.  And she said something.  It didn't stick then or even return in my replay over the years.  But the other night, during a deep sleep, a nudge, ever so slight.  I awoke with a hankering for Mom's Biscuits and went to the kitchen.  Mizzen place~ all on deck.

Pre heat oven 425 degrees F.  2 tablespoons butter in glass baking dish (9X9)
2 cups flour, all purpose          Blend first three ingredients in large bowl.
3 tsps  baking powder
1  tsp  salt
1/4 c   butter                            Cut in butter to size of peas
1 3/4  buttermilk                      Fold in gently only until all is moist. (was that part of the nudge?)

All in the bowl.  Butter cut in.  Add the buttermilk.  FOLD, not stir.  Oh yes, there is a difference.  Deft of hand I recalled.  Mom was deft of hand.  That has been my problem all the decades.  A yeast bread baker, I even taught her how to make yeast breads, my handling of the 'stirring' utensil was heavy.  Oh, how could it take  all these years to recall such a fine detail. All the breads I have made.

The butter milk pooled in a well of dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, I scooped the flour from the side of the bowl and FOLDED it over into the pool.  I rotated the bowl and gently repeated.  Three times.  Then I ran the spatula under the center and folded, turn and repeat.  All was MOIST.  I reigned in the desire to do more.  Onto a floured board I plopped the dough.  Again, resisting the temptation to fold and knead even once, I floured hands and patted the dough easily to a 1/2 inch thickness.  I floured the cutter, placed each in the hot glass dish after a touch and flip in the hot butter.  The biscuits all in the pan, touching, I allowed them to sit for 5 minutes.  That is when Mom washed everything up.
Five minutes over, I slid my prize into the hot oven and set the timer for 19 minutes.  The timer buzzed, I checked, they had risen to the top edge of the pan but not quite separating at seams.  I shut the door and set the time for 5 more minutes.  Timer buzzed.  I pulled the glass pan out, enveloped by heat and luscious aroma.  I removed the biscuits to a rack atop a platter to prevent steam from softening the golden crust, my favorite part.

I chose a corner biscuit.  Did I say the golden crust was my favorite part?  The jewel opened to a fluff, steaming.  Give it a second, a burned tongue is useless.  Finally, a bite.  Part crust, part inner fluff and Mom must've been in the kitchen.  So close, so close I'll claim this batch as Almost Mom's.  My closest ever and it is all in the FOLD not stir, the hot glass pan and  a nudge ever so slight in the night.  Thanks, Momma~ nudge anytime.

Sourdough, Finally, but Worth the Wait

We have all had that scrumptious crust crackling chewy tang bread.  Having lived in places where bread is spongey, foamy and a good substitute for a rubber ball when squished together, I did like the bread variety in Milwaukee, and New York.  Now in Florida, there are some bakery breads, mass produced breads, the Costco variety of breads but none is really that wonderful sourdough flavor I seek.  Studying my bread books, reading blogs of bakers online and everything on he Fresh Loaf site, I began to consider a sourdough event in my won kitchen.  A friend and fellow baker, blogger and almost famous beekeeper in Louisville, KY(http://www.flourtodaybreadtomorrow.blogspot.com/) makes sourdough breads, brownies, etc.  We chatted via email about sourdough starter strategies and I took the leap.  At first, it didn't look to good... but I persevered.  Followed his advise.  I split, fed, stirred and repeated for a sequence of days.  Then finally, yesterday, August 31, 2010, I had BUBBLES of LIFE!
Here is how you create a wild yeast starter: 

from Elwood at Flour Today, Bread Tomorrow

"I used Classic Sourdoughs A Home Baker's Handbook by Ed Wood for instructions.

I took 2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cup warm water and stirred it well, put it in a jar with cheesecloth on the top set it outside and then stirred it every now and again.  I brought it in at night, but if you don't have any critter problems I guess you could leave it out.  After about 2 days you should see some bubbling. Add another cup of flour and enough water to keep the consistency. You might have to do that several times over a couple of days. You know you have a good active starter when there is a 1 to 2 inch layer of foam on the top." 

Mine took about 6 days.  I divided a cup of a rather thin slurry into a sterile glass  container.  I added  1 cup of whole wheat flour and a half cup water.  To get the results in the above photo.  I continued to whole wheat flour to feed the starter.
Next, I prepared the sourdough bread dough knowing a long rise time was needed.  Four hours, six hours and little happened.  I allowed more time.  Night, late night arrived so I placed the entire batch in an oiled zip bag, and placed it in the fridge.  It came out with hope of life this morning. I allowed it to come to room temperature at which time I formed two loaves. 

By the time I had the second loaf formed, the first had shown a tiny bit of rise.  Now, came the excitement!  But disaster loomed.  The dough was sticking to the corn meal sprinkled peel. MMM???  Time to call on an old friend, parchment paper.  With that placed beneath the loaves, I spritzed them with oil, covered with platic and waited.

And there was RISE! This made me happy.  I performed a careful diagonal slash on one and a full length midline on the other.  The oven was at temperature with the steam feature ready.  POOOWHWWWSSHH!  Door closed, timer set, we wait.  Ah yes, soon there was a wonderful aroma filling the house.  Wait,     w   a   i   t  .   Out of the oven they come.

You can see the difference in the size of the loaves and the slashes.  The crust is a bit pale.  The bottoms are nutty brown and crisp in appearance.  We tried to wait for the loaves to cool but that didn't happen.

The aroma was too alluring and I was anxous to see if I achieved holes.

The knife made firm contact with a crunchy draw across the crust, some crumbs popped.  I think that is a good sign.  The first piece fell away and the center looked dense.  I sliced a another and VIOLA!

HOLES!  Despite  the    l   o   n   g    rise time, that the loaf is a tad heavy, the crumb texture dense and the outer top crust a bit pale, I still count this as a sucess for the first effort is ages for a sourdough.  The Combsman's commment, "You have made sourdough many times and it never tasted this sour."  SCORE! Doing the victory dance, oh yeah, oh yeah!!  Yum and yum. . . .