kitchen essentials — making your own bisquick

okay, this is MEGA-american (not that there's anything wrong with that! ;p) and a product i have childhood memories of in limited degrees, used mainly when my mother was making some recipe from a magazine like southern living.

btw .... as an aside, check out the 'bald peanuts' (must be said with a southern drawl) that i was/am so addicted to and must have whenever in atlanta and environs, several times a year. if you've never had them, you don't know what you're missin'! who knew you could make 'em yourself; usually these are bought off highways (i85 comes to mind) from (local) people roadside.

i digress. back to the subject:

but how to explain bisquick to those who don't know what it is ...... well, i guess it could be explained as a floury mixture which is somewhere between a southern biscuit mix and an all purpose one to use for crusts on pies or casseroles, and to make pancakes. the original, back in the 1930s was actually made with lard (rendered pig fat). now it's just vegetarian "very-bad-for-you" transfat, LOL.

while not an everyday pantry item for me, i do use every once in a while and instead of buying the mixture, i make it myself. the recipe is one i found in the newspaper quite a few years ago and quite decent, if not better. even better is that it takes 5 minutes to make and will last for months in the fridge or several weeks on your pantry shelves.

history of the product here.


homemade bisquick

makes about 4 to 5 cups; can be doubled

ingredients:

3 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c vegetable shortening (like crisco)

method:

mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl and either sift back into the bowl or mix well with a wire whisk.

add the shortening and with a pastry knife/cutter, cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

this step can be done in a food processor also.

final texture:

store in a container. keep in the fridge for longer shelf life.

what to do with it? look here.

buttermilk

it certainly doesn't taste like milk with butter and as a kid i remember taking a gulp and spitting out this thick white liquid which my parents called babeurre. i distinctly remember i declared hating it and it would never pass my lips again.

i think i hated all things sour: sour cream, yogurt, and of course buttermilk. yuck. but that is no longer the story today. how wrong i was. i have come to love these things, especially as they make all the difference in cooking — most notably in the baking realm.

do you want to make your own at home? buying it is easy. but if you're adventurous like i am, it's a simple procedure:

homemade buttermilk

heat 3 1/2 c of skim milk until it is warm, but not hot.

add 1/2 cup of commercial buttermilk.

let it stand overnight in a warm place like the oven with the pilot light on.

in the morning, your buttermilk will be thick and ready to use.

a great baking alternative to keep on hand is a canadian made dried buttermilk powder that works wonderfully in baked goods. it is a great pantry item to keep on hand and is often recommended and used by baker and cookbook/web author, Marcie Goldman of www.betterbaking.com.

for more information, visit the saco site. there are recipes, conversion charts & further information about their other products.

the best buttermilk pancakes
[... the best i have found so far]

makes quite a few. you may halve the recipe. recipe i found years ago from recipezaar.

ingredients:

2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, unbeaten
2 c buttermilk
1/4 c melted butter or vegetable oil

method:

mix dry ingredients together. mix wet ingredients together. combine wet into dry and just mix until blended. do not overmix.

cook until golden on each side over medium heat in an oiled fry pan.

ranch dressing

ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp each of dried oregano, dill, chives & parsely
1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
dash tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce [optional]
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

method:

mix all together. taste, adjust seasonings if necessary. if it's too thick, thin with a bit more buttermilk.

buttermilk coffee cake

a recipe from diana's kitchen

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sifted flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

method:

stir together 2 cups flour and brown sugar. cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
measure 3/4 cup of mixture and set aside for topping.

to remaining flour mixture add 1/3 cup flour; blend well. add egg, buttermilk, baking soda, and cinnamon. mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.

turn dough into a buttered 9-inch square pan.

mix together the reserved flour sugar mixture and the chopped walnuts or pecans; sprinkle over the top of the batter.

bake coffee cake in a 350° oven for 50 to 55 minutes.

let coffee cake cool in pan then cut into serving-size pieces.