The Biscuit

The biscuit has a bit of history, so I've learned. It goes back thousands of years. I've found it in many cultures from China to Australia to Ireland to France to Africa to South America and on to North America. It's a quick simple bread that means twice cooked. The french word bescuit is derived from the Latin words bis (twice) and coquere (to cook), and, hence, means "twice-cooked." This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a two-fold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. This allowed the biscuit to be stored for an extended period of time. The Mayflower reportedly had an estimated count of 15,000 biscuits on board as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

When I think of biscuits, I can't help but to think of southern cooking. They have been a long time staple in the south. Not only are they a participant of a meal, but rather the "star" placed upon the table.

Recently, I came across an amazingly easy recipe that doesn't require more than two ingredients to make real southern biscuits. Yes, I said just only two ingredients to make delicious, mouth watering, soft, fluffy biscuits. I was intrigued. No egg? No Bisquick? No shortening? Hmmm....I wanted to prove the recipe wrong. I just had to put it to the test.

Biscuits

2 cups of Self Rising Flour

1 cup of heavy cream (I used half and half instead)

Mix ingredients together to form a dough. Knead for 2 minutes on a floured surface and roll out in 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut with biscuit cutter or glass with 2 inch diameter. Place biscuits onto lightly greased baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 13 minutes or until they are slightly golden on top. Remove from oven and brush with just a little butter on top, if you wish. * makes about 8 biscuits.

I didn't like the idea of the fat count in the heavy cream so I wanted to use half and half instead. It's lower fat, less guilt for me and I certainly don't need to be on the path to 400 lbs. The half and half works wonderfully well as an alternative. The self rising flour provides the leavening and the half/half provides the fat that the biscuit needs. It didn't take long to whip up a batch of beautiful, soft biscuits, in which my family anxiously slathered theirs with just a touch of butter and drizzled a little honey in their biscuit.

Well, I was proved wrong. The Biscuit recipe passed the test. Each were delicious and perfect.

So go ahead, add biscuits to your meal or make it the center of attention at your table. Enjoy and break bread with the Biscuit.