Our Favorite Biscuits: a recipe review

If there’s someone who doesn’t love a homemade biscuit, I’d like to meet them.

I say this because I have yet to meet a person in my 28 years that doesn’t like biscuits. They’re a breakfast staple in most homes. Fluffy and delicious. Perfect with eggs, bacon, sausage, butter, jam, honey, ham, beans, or nothing at all! We had ours with hog plum jelly and homemade breakfast sausage. See below:

There are few foods this easy to make also! Homemade biscuits may sound daunting but you can get buttery layers  with little work at all!

Now, these are not figure friendly, so just don’t worry about that. The stick of butter in the recipe ensures you’ll meet your daily calcium goals!

We love Homesick Texan’s recipe but we do tweak it a little bit. These are perfect for upcoming holiday breakfasts. You could also probably freeze them once you cut them and bake later but I haven’t tried yet. Make these for your family and enjoy!

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Homesick Texan Biscuits

  Serves 6-8 depending on how large you cut them

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stick of butter (cold and cut into cubes)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk, half and half, or buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450. Put your cast iron (or oven safe) pan into the oven with 1/3 tbsp butter to warm. This will create a nice browned biscuit bottom.
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together into cold bowl.
3. Cut cold butter cubes into flour mixture until it resembles a pea-like texture.
4. Add milk until the dough comes together but is sticky. (Note: we use 1% milk most times as we have it on hand. It could be 1/2 cup but usually we use more like 3/4 cup.)
5. Turn your dough onto a floured counter top. Work dough until no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, folding it repeatedly and then flattening it again, folding and flattening. This makes your layers.
6. Then, faltten once more to 1/4 inch thick and using a cookie cutter or drinking glass, cut the biscuits. Lay them into the pan in a circle formation with the edges touching. (We find this creates a better biscuit)
7. Brush some milk over the tops and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

You can find the original recipe at The Homesick Texan along with many other goodies!

Brioche Hamburger Buns

This was one of those “good ideas” that was such a bad idea. I mean, should a bread loving person like me really learn to make brioche buns? No. Of course not! But I did. No going back or stopping us now folks.

Considering how labor intensive brioche sounds, these buns weren’t difficult! They just require your time and exact measurements.

We used these homemade buns for burgers with avocado, bacon, cheese, and Sriracha mayonnaise. Swoon. {I’m having a Sriracha mayo moment lately.}

The recipe makes 8 good size buns so you’ll have leftovers for kick-butt ham and cheese, eggy breakfast sandwiches, or just for toasting with jam. Lucky you.

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Brioche Hamburger Buns

makes 8 large buns

• 3 tbsp warm milk
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp softened unsalted butter

1. In a glass measuring cup add yeast, sugar, milk, and one cup of warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. While you wait, beat one egg in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl mix your flours together. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingers, making crumbs. Add your yeast mixture and the beaten egg until a dough forms. (I used my Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer with the dough hook)
3. Scrape your dough on to a clean unfloured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. (I set a timer to help me, and my arms definitely got a workout. I don’t know if you could use the dough hook mixer to knead but I just kneaded with my knuckles and would slap it down on the counter repeatedly.)
4. Shape into a ball and return dough to the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 1-2 hours in a warm dry place until doubled in size.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or if you’re me, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray because you have no parchment). Cut your dough ball into 8 equal parts. Roll into a ball and space about 2 inches apart on your sheet. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let sit for another hour in a warm dry place.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a shallow baking dish of water in the bottom of your oven. Beat remaining egg with a tablespoon of water and brush the tops of buns.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to rotate your baking sheet halfway through baking. Let cool entirely then slice and enjoy!

Original recipe from NY Times Cooking

{No Bisquick Needed} Sausage Balls

So if you’re here for the sausage balls then you would totally expect the picture above. Not beautiful unless you know what joy that picture brings! Maybe you’ve called these by a different name. One of my best friends from college (Hey Junkin) called these Moon Rocks. I can totally see why (they do look like moon rocks I think) and if these are moon rocks, I’m joining SPACE X.

These are usually always made with Bisquick which makes life easier but TRANS FATS. Or at least it used to have TRANS FATS. So I researched the Internet and using some inspiration, adapted my own which use NO Bisquick and NO shortening. It’s a sausage ball for crying out loud, do you need more fat than that?! I think not. Thank me later.

I have this extraordinary brother-in-law who goes above and beyond to help my grandfather-in-law. You see, when a 90 year old man wants to farm and ranch you can tell him no but he probably won’t listen. So, brother works long after he is free from his day job helping sustain said ranch. This very same brother-in-law comes through for us regularly too.

This weekend I made him some sausage balls. Call it whatever you want, but good people deserve good treatment. I hope this makes your breakfasts or snacks a little easier Trav. We love you!

Sausage Balls are fantastic as a make ahead dish and are great room temp or hot! Perfect for any brunch definitely! Let me know what you think 🙂

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No Bisquick Sausage Balls

makes about 18

• 2 lbs breakfast sausage of your choice (this recipe has been tested with pork and venison successfully!)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
• 4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese (or Neufchâtel)
• 1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir well.
3. Cut cold butter into flour and mix with a fork until it forms a crumbly pea-like consistency.
4. Add in sausage and both cheeses as well as pepper. Mix to combine but do not over mix. (I use my hands here, it’s easiest)
5. Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, form balls and place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Adapted from Divas Can Cook!

Quick Cinnamon Sugar Bread

It’s probably no secret based on the title of my blog but I do like to bake.

I would not say I am a master at baking by any means but I enjoy the fruits of my labor, even if someone else can probably bake it better. Given a choice, I’d rather cook a main dish but often I get a hankering for a sweet or something oven fresh.

My grandmother-in-law was telling me this weekend of how she would eat a slice of fresh bread with fresh cream after school as a kid.

CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?! Jealousy. So much jealousy.

This got my brain going on bread. I couldn’t decide though. Did I want to show you my beer bread? Maybe you wanted some oatmeal raisin bread? Just maybe you didn’t care either way so long as I posted something delicious? I don’t know.

Being that I have a colleague who recently moved into a new home with her family, I had already targeted my baked good recipient. What better way is there to welcome someone? There is not. She’s also just a sweet woman so there’s another reason!

I would have included raisins in this but you never know about raisins. Some people love them and some people think they were better off as grapes. I decided to opt out as this is gift bread, but when I make us our own I am totally adding raisins.

After it was done baking I whipped up a confectioner sugar glaze. That’s cinnamon’s best friend. {It works well on the bread, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have the milk or sugar to make it.}

Does anyone else agree that cinnamon belongs with powdered sugar icing?

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Quick Cinnamon Sugar Bread

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

GLAZE

• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small 9×5 loaf pan.
2. Mix both flours, 1 cup of sugar, baking soda, salt, milk, egg, vanilla, and oil in a large bowl until just combined.
3. In a small separate bowl combine remaining white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
4. Pour half of your batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle half of your cinnamon mixture evenly on top. Layer your remaining batter on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon mixture.
5. Using the end of your spoon or a knife, cut into batter and swirl the cinnamon mixture.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the bread and placing on a rack. While this continues to cool, combine confectioner’s sugar and milk together with a fork or whisk to create a glaze.
8. Once finished, drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread.

Inspired by and adapted from Plain Chicken. Thank you!