Here's Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits, straight from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook.
The biscuits were really good. I haven't tried my hand at all that many biscuits, but getting the butter incorporated into the dough was the most challenging part of the recipe. Next time I will make the dough thicker so the biscuits aren't so thin. The pecans provide a really nice crunch within the biscuit, and the outside got nice and crunchy also.
The other item I made was Dorie's Cream Scones, with a dusting of cinnamon.
I tried to use this Cream Scone recipe to make more of a cinnamon scone, but I forgot to put the raisins in. I know I know. I don't know what I was thinking. Well I was thinking about getting to church on time and the raisins didn't make the cut... We liked these, but they would have been so much better with raisins. They puffed up nicely, with lots of layers (more like a biscuit than a scone). So next time, I'll make these a bit thinner.
Here's the recipes:
Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits
By Dorie Greenspan Baking: From my home to yours
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces*
1/2 cup cold sour cream
1/4 cup cold whole milk
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, preferably toasted
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F. Get out a sharp 2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter, and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Whisk the flour(s), baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between - and that's just right.
Stir the sour cream and milk together and pour over the dry ingredients. Grab a fork and gently toss and turn the ingredients together until you've got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick, gentle kneading - 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together. Toss in the pecans and knead another 2 to 3 times to incorporate them.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out with your hands or roll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. Don't worry if the dough isn't completely even - a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.
Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to the cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of this first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer these to the sheet. (The biscuits can be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting - just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)
Bake the biscuits 14 to 18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. Transfer them to a serving basket.
Cream Scones
By Dorie Greenspan Baking: From my home to yours
Yield: 12 scones
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Simple to make, not dry, and terrific with lemon curd too.
Ingredients:
1 large egg
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
3/4 cup currants
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
3/4 cup currants
Directions:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
2. In a small bowl, stir the egg and cream together.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly.
4. Pour the egg, cream and currants over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, come together. Don't overdo it. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times.
5. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges and place it on the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don't defrost before baking- just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)
6. Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firm. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for them to cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, stir the egg and cream together.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly.
4. Pour the egg, cream and currants over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be wet and sticky, come together. Don't overdo it. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times.
5. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Divide it in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat the dough into a rough circle that's about 5 inches in diameter, cut it into 6 wedges and place it on the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don't defrost before baking- just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)
6. Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firm. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for them to cool to room temperature.
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