Krista’s Rosemary Biscuits

*I am not sure why all my photos of the biscuits came out yellow. 

For close to two years my husband cooked made to order breakfast sandwiches at our farmers market stand.  He used eggs from our chickens, and cheese and bacon/sausage from fellow vendors.  These items were sandwiched into a still warm rosemary biscuit. 

I make a pretty darn good rosemary biscuit and would get up early before the market and bake them from scratch.  Sometimes Rich got up early and baked them instead using my recipe.

They were made with organic and often local ingredients including rosemary from my herb garden, butter from a fellow vendor, locally milled wheat flour would be mixed with a lighter white flour, organic baking powder and sea salt.

People loved the sandwiches and we sold out each week.  Upon popular request, sometimes I would bake up a few extra biscuits and we would sell those separately.   

We have not sold breakfast sandwiches or biscuits in a while, but I do make the biscuits on special occasion and we had a special occasion a few weeks ago when we were attending the annual Farmers Market meeting and pot luck.  This is a wonderful opportunity for all of the market vendors, volunteers and staff to get together in an indoor location and spend time talking, discussing the market, new projects and ideas and get to know each other better.  We also have an official meeting and discuss the past and coming years, and elect our new board members. 

This whole event revolves around a pot luck dinner and it is not your typical potluck with bags of chips and bottles of soda.  You do not want to forget to plan ahead and make something fresh.  No one runs by the grocery store and picks up a container of store made pasta salad or a bag of dried out cookies.  Everything is made fresh and everything is spectacular.  It is, hands down, the best potluck event I have ever attended.    

This year I made up a double batch of my rosemary biscuits and as expected, they stood the test and were gone before half the line was through. 

They are quick, inexpensive and easy to make.  They won’t take but a moment longer than using Bisquick and are totally worth it. 

Krista’s Rosemary Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 table baking powder
• 1/2 tea baking soda
• ½ tea sea salt
• 1 stick butter (chilled)
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk

*optional additions

• Fresh rosemary
• Shredded cheese

Step one.  In a medium bowl mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  If you are using rosemary and or cheese, add that now. 

Step two.  Chop up your chilled butter.  You want smallish pieces. Add it to the flour mix. 

Step three.  Using your floured hands, crush in the butter.  You want your mix to come out sort of mealy. 

Step four.  Mix in the milk using a spoon until just combined. 

mealy with butter worked in

Step five.  Flour your hands and the counter surface and work the dough just a little so it stays combined. 

Step six.  Flatten out in small sections to about an inch thick, thinner if cutting smaller biscuits, and cut biscuits.  Place on baking sheet.

*The trick to the butter, is to try not to let it warm up too much with your hands.  That breaks it down and your biscuits won’t be as good.  You want to work it in until just broken down.  Chopping smaller pieces makes it easier.  I sort of smear them between my fingers and into a large section of flour. 

*I like big biscuits so I use a round large cookie cutter to cut mine out.  I used to make a lot of biscuits at once so I invested in a nicer cutter that has a plastic soft rounded top edge so it wouldn’t bite into my hand.  When I say invested, I am talking about $3.  Using a drinking glass will work as well.  A wide mouthed mason jar cuts a good size biscuit. 

*your dough will still be flaky, and not a perfect mass.  Pieces will fall off and you will have a few small butter pieces visible in it.  Do not over work it or your biscuits will not be as flaky.  You want it to just hold together. 

*Rosemary.  Seriously, this stuff is amazing and super easy to grow in most climates.  I live on the western edge of central Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains and I have a few rosemary bushes growing in my flower beds.  I have them well mulched and they winter over wonderfully.  The best part of having your own rosemary bush, is you can go out and pick rosemary from it year round.  And it smells great.  For this recipe, you can use a bunch of rosemary or just a little.  I like to chop up a large palm full, and put that in the dough.  Then I sprinkle a little more on top before popping the biscuits in the oven. 

*If you added a dash too much milk, add a dash or two more flour.    

*Keep your hands and counter well floured. 

* Think pretzel salt .  You can use regular salt, but sea salt or large grained salt really brings out some flavor.  Sounds silly and unnecessary, but investing a few bucks in some sea salt is totally worth it.  I use it in pretty much all of my baking. 

 

Posted by riderofchaos on February 7, 2012

https://allthingskrista.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/kristas-rosemary-biscuits/