What seems to be the consensus is using a low-gluten flour like White Lily or Martha White because these “soft” flours contain less protein than most national brands resulting in light and fluffy biscuits. Some Southerners swear by self-rising flour, while others prefer to add their own leavening agents to all-purpose flour. Using all or more lard or shortening creates a more tender, flakier biscuit while adding more butter makes it richer. Many recipes call for lard, while others call for shortening or butter or some combination, depending on the desired consistency or richness. There are as many recipes for biscuits as there are Southern grandmothers, whose family recipes have been handed down for generations. It’s all about moderation, y’all! So when the day comes when I choose to indulge in biscuits and gravy, one of my all-time favorite breakfasts, I want to make them the right way. However, since even I know that I shouldn’t eat this stuff every day, I silenced the voice shouting inside my head telling that the biscuits will go straight to my thighs. Recipe courtesy Paula Deen Photo: betweenbutterandbroccoli.In light of Paula Deen’s recent announcement, I wondered, briefly, if I should continue on my recent quest to find my definitive version of buttermilk biscuits and gravy. Split the hot biscuits in half and ladle the Chocolate Gravy over them. Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining butter. Brush the biscuits with half the melted butter and bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Gently press down the top of the biscuits. Place the biscuits in a greased iron skillet. Cut dough into circles with a 2-inch cutter. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to ½-inch thickness. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Add the buttermilk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until well mixed. Cut in the shortening with a fork until it looks like cornmeal. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Whisk in remaining milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick, being careful not to scorch. Slowly pour 1 cup of milk into the skillet and whisk well to remove lumps. To make the Chocolate Gravy, heat the butter in a cast iron skillet over low heat. ⅓ stick butter ⅔ cup sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ⅓ cup cocoa 2 cups whole milk You’ll get the hearty food of life with a little slice of creative Southern sweetness.ģ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 2 tablespoons sugar 2½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup vegetable shortening, plus more for pan 1 cups buttermilk ¼ cup melted unsalted butter So take a page from our Appalachian mothers and follow Paula Deen’s recipe for mouth-watering homemade biscuits with chocolate gravy. While going through a down period in her young life, Deen turned to cooking, a skill she honed at her grandmother’s apron, like many Appalachian young’uns. Though now known for her low-country Savannah restaurant beginnings, celebrity chef Paula Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. Cooks who could afford only the staples from the country store used their imaginations to concoct goodies for their families. They made do with the ingredients at hand. Taking the mainstay and turning it into a delightful treat is a trademark of Southern Appalachian cooks and their peers across the South. “But oh, those biscuits were so sweet - a real treat for us.” “We didn’t have chocolate syrup like we do now,” she recalls. In Madison County, North Carolina, Aunt Lettie Ray remembers her mother rolling the biscuit dough into balls and dropping them into a pot of boiling water infused with chocolate powder - creating a chocolate biscuit dumpling for her children to enjoy. Southern Appalachian cooks to this day honor that mantra. Homemade preserves and biscuits greeted children after school and a meal wasn’t complete without a plate of fresh baked biscuits. Fried chicken steaks, cuts of beef and slabs of pork filled left-over biscuits for lunch on many a farm table. Biscuits in the Southern Appalachian mountains were, and continue to be, a mainstay, whether they’re covered in butter, spread with jam or drenched in sorghum syrup.īiscuits and ‘lassy, (molasses) was a common treat after ‘lassy-pullin’ days. Girls learned how to make biscuits as a rite of passage. Biscuits have long served as a staple on Appalachian breakfast, lunch and dinner tables.
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