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Mom's Biscuits and Gravy

Food and Drink
Biscuits and Gravy

 
The biscuit recipe
 
I know; it looks like any of a hundred biscuit recipes out there.  The difference is in the technique.  My biscuits used to turn out like boulders until my mother showed me what I was doing wrong:  I was working the dough way too much.

 
     
  • 2 1/2 Cups flour  (410 grams)
    •  
  • 1 tsp salt (6 grams)
    •  
  • 3-3/4 tsp Baking Powder
    •  
  • A pinch of sugar (1/8 to 1/4 tsp)  
    •  
  • COLD buttermilk  (+- 240 grams)
    •  
  • A splash (1/8 cup to 1/4 cup) COLD regular milk for lightness
    •  
  • 3+ Tblsp (44 grams) of cold unsalted butter
 
 
  • Note: Chill the ingredients ahead of time.

  • Mix dry ingredients in bowl
  • Cut the unsalted butter into the dry mix.  I use a Food Ninja blender for this task.
  • Add regular milk
  • Add buttermilk to "feel".  Mix carefully by hand, folding mainly.  Don't overdo the mixing, it only takes a minute or less.  Dough is fairly stiff when right.
  • When right, dough should just pull away from the sides of the bowl when stirred/folded.  Adjust with buttermilk as needed.
  • Layout dough on floured surface (Mom uses an old paper grocery bag for this purpose--easy cleanup).  Dust the top of the dough with a little flour.
  • Gently pat dough down while keeping the edges tucked in.  When uniformly 3/4" to 7/8" thick, cut out and place in very warm, greased biscuit pan (If biscuit sides touch one another, the biscuits will be more moist)
  • Coat the tops of each biscuit with a small amount of warm, melted unsalted butter
  • Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
 
Makes ten biscuits.

Gravy Recipe:
 
Ingredients:
 
Unsalted butter
 
All Purpose flour
 
Black pepper

 
4 to 6 TBLSP unsalted butter in a gravy pan.   Add a similar amount of All Purpose flour to make a roux.
Bring to a bubbly state, then reduce heat and cook for at least two minutes--don't burn it.  Set some roux aside for more thickening if needed.  
     
  • After roux is cooked, cool it down.   Once cool, turn on heat, and add canned milk while stirring.  Stir constantly until gravy thickens and boils.  Salt and pepper to taste.
 (Note: Cooling the roux prior to adding milk helps prevent lumps in the gravy.)
 
  • Note, in March 2013:  Mixing 66% "Half and Half" and 33% regular milk produces excellent gravy.
 
 

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