Greetings from the Great Lakes State!

[OldFart]

Hello folks! I can't remember where but I found this great site by following a link from another forum. This is a great forum and I've learned quite a bit from it already (I've been lurking a while). I'm not much of a cook but I'm learning! At 55 I figured I better learn while a few of my brain cells still function!

I may not post much as I don't have much to offer to all the great cooks here but I'm sure I'll have a few questions. Please have patience with an OldFart!

Thanks for the great forum and all the effort that goes into it and thanks for allowing me to be a part of it!

Rick

 

[pacanis]

Hi Rick! Welcome.
I live along Lake Erie in PA. Which state is considered "The" great lakes state? I never heard that term.

 

[Jeff G.]

Welcome aboard. I spent 5 summers sailing Lake Erie.. I just couldn't handle that 480mi round trip drive any more on the weekends.

 

[mikki]

welcome Rick, you don't have to be a cook to post here. I think we cover just about any subject. Have fun!!!!

 

[pacanis]

Found it. It's one of Michigan's nicknames. Interesting.

 

[OldFart]

Yep! Michigan. Sorry... I was off trying to find out how to make my drop biscuits better!

Thanks for the Welcome! I think I'm gonna gain some weight reading here!

 

[smoke king]

From one oldfart to another, welcome to DC Rick!! We're glad you found us!!

 

[JoeV]

Rick, welcome to DC. You're a youngster to some here, so don't beat up on your age. I'm 58 and still have a few functioning brain cells, at least enough to make a pretty good loaf of bread every now and then.

Drop biscuits, huh? What's your recipe?

JoeV

BTW, I fish a lot on the Au Sable up in Grayling. Beautiful area and very peaceful.

 

[OldFart]

JoeV

Thanks. I've still got a few brain cells working but the get a little foggy sometimes! I just started trying drop biscuits but I like em a lot! I don't have counterspace and kneading and rolling just don't cut it. I like these drop biscuits but they come out VERY CRUMBLY! The look great. They smell great and they taste great but just don't try and pickem up!! I'm trying to remedy that by doing some research here. Anyway here's the recipe I'm using.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 pound (one stick) cold butter
1 cup plus one tablespoon buttermilk

Once I tried using butter and all purpose flour and once I tried 50/50 white and wheat flour with shortening. Both came out well but very crumbly.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I've been doing a lot of reading here and there seem to be the best folks on the net right here!

Thanks Smoke King. I knew I couldn't be the only oldfart here (I was hoping anyway).

 

[JoeV]

You might try replacing the butter with shortening, and using milk instead of buttermilk. Both the butter and buttermilk add to the richness of the biscuits, and have a tendency to make them crumbly. Also, I'm not sure what the baking soda is about, unless it's tempering the buttermilk for some reason. I can't remember a biscuit recipe that calls for both powder and soda, but then, there's a lot of voids in my remembery. It's a '60's kind of thing.
BTW, some people would give their first-born to get such flaky biscuits. LMAO
JoeV

 

[OldFart]

Thanks! I tried it with shortening instead of butter but it came out the pretty much the same. I've been grabbing many many recipes from the internet lately and I also thought it was weird to use powder and soda. The person that gave the recipe claimed that the soda was needed whenever buttermilk was used to avoid the bitter taste (unless you like that of course). I don't know since I'm not much of a cook! Also I use buttermilk powder instead of the real thing.

Maybe this next batch I'll use milk shortening and forget the butter and buttermilk.

I know all about the 60's thing! Been there myself!!
Thanks for the help.

I've also tried this one and it worked out well also.

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder (3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk or buttermilk or yogurt

P.S. There are mighty crumbly and good. I lucked out when trying them. There great with sausage gravy but try and butter one and pick it up...you end up eating it with a fork!!

Rick

 

[pacanis]

All this biscuit talk is going to make me head for Bob Evans in the near future
Man I love their biscuits.

 

[OldFart]

I know exactly what you mean. I had a couple leftovers biscuits in the fridge but after all this talk I wanted to make another batch. Good thing the Red Wing game just came on!! There's not enough time between periods to make a batch. In the morning I'll try again!

 

[pacanis]

Hockey started already?

 

[Dave Hutchins]

From one OF to another OF Welcome to the boards.. My mother took her recipe to the grave for her biscuit recipt. They would almost float off the plate and you could pull them apart and butter them. Ive cooked and baked for the last 45 yrs and I can not duplicate her biscuits, and I have tried and tried. Dang.