Our forests here in the Okanagan are very happy these days. Why? Spring rains. May often brings those first few sneak peaks of summertime hot days just to get us ready to swelter. But, uh uh, not this year. Cool breezes, big dramatic skies and every kind of rain imagineable. From glorious downpours to drizzley tickle your face showers and everything in between. What do we get out of the deal? A lot of green, and cozy-up days that scream for comfort food.
I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people that is not so secretly thrilled at an excuse to comfort my spirit, cravings and tummy. After that it comes down to options, and there are so many. Yesterday as the early morning rain pitter pattered on my kitchen skylights I wanted to be swept back....... home.....long past. I jumped on the first thing that came to mind. Yeasty baked goodness. Just like mom used to make.
But, needless to say, I was too impatient to wait. Yeast can be very demanding that way.
Then it hit me, wham bam! Angel Biscuits. I haven't made them in years, and at the moment I can't for the life of me figure out why. To sum it up, glorious, tender yeasty goodness in mere minutes. Yes please. I think you're going to thank me for this one for years to come!
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Here we go.......................Soften the yeast in a bit of warm sugared water for 5 minutes or so til it gets all poofy and happy.
Once you've got all your wet and dry ingredients mixed up good, knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes.
Time to grab your rolling pin and roll the dough out to just over 1 inch thickness, then with floured cutter or glass cut into small biscuits.
Gently plop biscuits onto greased baking sheet and set aside for about 10 minutes while your oven heats to 400F.
Bake biscuits for 12-15 minutes until your house is filled with that fresh baked yeasty goodness.
Tear into those babies as soon as they're cool enough that they won't burn your fingertips.
Yesterday we had ours slathered with butter and Roger's golden syrup (which I could put on just about anything!). With a side of thick-cut, crispy-soft, fried bacon and creamy scrambled eggs with bits of carmelized Vidalia onion and sauteed fresh jalapeno inside. I found out that if you slide your bacon through a puddle of golden syrup on your plate and then pop it on top of a piece of biscuit you've damn near achieved some kind of comfort food nirvana.
Next time it rains, you know what to do..........
ANGEL BISCUITS - Makes 18-24 little biscuits
1 package traditional yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
¼ cup nice warm water
1 teaspspoon sugar
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup buttermilk
Soften yeast in warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar and set aside for about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Work butter into dry ingredients with your hands until evenly distributed. Add yeast and buttermilk, mixing well. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for about 5-6 minutes. Roll dough out with a rolling pin to about 1 inch thickness. Cut with small biscuit cutter or glass. Place biscuits on greased baking sheet and set aside. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake 12-15 minutes until deliciously golden brown. Serve warm-from-the-oven-with lotsa’ butter, honey, golden syrup, jelly or jam.