Great Grandmas Pioneer Trail Biscuits Food

GRANDMA'S BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk; stir just until moistened., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. Pat dough into a 10x4-in. rectangle. Cut rectangle lengthwise in half; cut crosswise to make 10 squares., Place 1 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet; brush tops with egg. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Serve warm.

GRANDMA GERALDINE'S FAMOUS BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Sift 2 cups flour, the salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in the lard with a fork or your fingers until well blended.
• Gradually add the buttermilk until the dough is wet and sticky (but not too wet), then add the remaining 3 tablespoons flour until the dough comes together and is kneadable. Either pinch off 2-inch biscuits or pat out the dough until ½ inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out biscuits with a floured 2-inch round cutter; arrange on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk.
• Bake the biscuits until golden brown on top, 15 to 17 minutes.

GRANDMA'S BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt into a bowl. Use a pastry cutter to chop vegetable shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk egg and milk together in a separate bowl and slowly add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring as you pour, until dough is moistened and well-mixed. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until biscuits have risen and are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

BIG BATCH OF GRANDMA'S BISCUITS WITH MOLASSES BUTTER

Steps:

• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the chilled, cubed butter. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal. Alternatively, combine the flour and chilled butter in a food processor and pulse to combine until it resembles coarse meal, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in the baking powder, salt, sugar and baking soda. Form a well in the center of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Mix with a fork until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the dough begins to shape into a ball. (The dough will be slightly dry.)
• Dust a clean work surface with flour, coat your palms, and rub some on a rolling pin. Turn out the dough onto the work surface. Knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes, folding it over onto itself each time. Pat the dough into a rectangle and then roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a 3-inch-wide glass in flour, and then cut out the biscuits. Alternatively, use a knife to cut the biscuits into 3-inch squares. Reshape the leftover dough into a ball, roll it out again, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat this process until the dough is gone.
• Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. While the biscuits are still hot, brush the biscuits with the 2 tablespoons softened butter.
• For the butter: Stir or mash the butter and molasses or honey together to combine, leaving a few streaks of molasses visible.
• Serve the flavored butter with the warm biscuits.

GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL BISCUITS

Steps:

• Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the lard, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in buttermilk. If dough is not pliable, add just enough buttermilk to make a soft, puffy dough that is easy to roll out. Knead dough on lightly floured board about one to two minutes or 25 to 30 times. Roll out dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut with floured biscuit cutter, or use a glass of the right size. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
• *** I don't use LARD. I use either Butter Flavored Crisco or Margarine. The Pioneers cooked them a bit differntly as there were no modern ovens on the trail... They made make-shift ovens that were sitting on coals of the campfire and more coals on top to get a hot oven effect. They also spent a lot of time baking as the ovens were small. They also sometimes made them in a skillet or a heavy pot with a lid (Dutch Oven)with coals under and about 12 - 15 on top.