Salli Lagrones Sweet Potato Biscuits Food

SWEET-POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree and buttermilk; stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not overmix).
• Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, 5 or 6 times. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 1/4 cup additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits (do not reuse scraps more than once).
• Bake the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack on lower shelf. Butter an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan (to help them stay upright). Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, rotating once, 20 to 24 minutes.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Lightly oil or grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together self-rising flour and sugar.
• Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly and some pea-size pieces of butter remain.
• In a small bowl, whisk together mashed sweet potatoes and buttermilk. Stir the potato mixture into the flour mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened. If the dough is too dry, add a little bit more buttermilk. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a bit more flour.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead 4-6 times.
• Press dough to 1-inch thickness.
• Using a round biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits and arrange in the cast iron skillet. Roll out the scraps once, and cut additional biscuits if necessary. Do not continue rolling and cutting or you may end up with tough biscuits.
• Place the skillet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes so that the dough can chill while you preheat the oven.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Bake biscuits until golden brown and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Brush warm biscuits with melted butter and enjoy!

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Make the biscuits: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato tightly in foil and bake until tender enough for a knife to go in with no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Scoop out 6 ounces/175 grams of cooked sweet potato flesh (about ¾ cup). (The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Working quickly, rub or cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter pieces are the size of peas. (Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the dry ingredients with the butter to cut in the butter.)
• Add the scallions and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Cut the cooked sweet potato into ½-inch chunks and drop into the bowl, tossing gently to coat with flour so that the pieces stay separated. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.
• Roll the dough into an 11-by-7-inch rectangle. Use a floured spatula to lift one end of the dough and fold over one-third of the rectangle. Fold the other end over the top as if folding a letter. You should end up with a rectangular piece of folded dough. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and roll again into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 (2-by-3-inch) rectangles. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart.
• Bake until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, rotating the pan about halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm.
• While the biscuits bake, make the honey butter, if you like: In a small bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt. Add the honey, and use a fork to cut the ingredients into the butter until incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with the warm biscuits. The butter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Cut sweet potato in half lengthwise. Cut each in half again lengthwise, then in half cross-wise. Cut each piece in half to make about 16 evenly sized chunks. Transfer into pot; cover with water and add salt. Bring to a simmer on high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 17 minutes. Drain thoroughly; return to pot and mash potatoes. You will need 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes. Cool thoroughly.
• Transfer cooled mashed potatoes to a mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and buttermilk. Mix together until well combined.
• Place self-rising flour in a separate mixing bowl. Grate frozen butter into flour, tossing with a fork to coat with flour after each addition of about 1/3 to 1/2 stick. This will prevent butter from clumping. Mixture should look like floury pieces of butter. Add sweet potato mixture. Toss with a fork until evenly distributed, but don't overmix.
• Transfer mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Push and press mixture together into a rectangular shape, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Dough will be floury and a bit crumbly. Fold rectangle into thirds, lifting up one-third and folding onto the middle and doing the same with the other side. Dust with a bit of flour if sticking.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Press dough into a rectangle again, about 1 inch thick. Repeat the tri-fold step. Press out into a rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Trim off the rough edges to square off the sides; this will maximize rising. Cut into 8 equal portions. Transfer to prepared baking pan, spacing biscuits evenly. Brush tops lightly with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
• Bake in preheated oven until browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.
• Mix 4 tablespoons butter (room temperature), pomegranate syrup, and pomegranate juice together in a small bowl. Spread on warm biscuits. Sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds for garnish.