Sourdough Biscuits

I was first introduced to sourdough by Uncle Bob. He was a not-really-related uncle who was loved by the Stewart family. He was visiting in Rexburg, Idaho, and was the first person I ever met who traveled with their sourdough start. His biscuits made an impression!

Several years later I came across an author at a preparedness expo that was selling her book about sourdough. It came with a sourdough start that was documented at 90 years old. Although I really wanted that book, I could not justify its expense with four little children in tow. However, the author was willing to share her start for free, without the book. So I obtained my first sourdough start, totally undocumented and delicious, in 1990. So far I have kept it going for 25 years. Here is one of our favorite recipes for sourdough biscuits.

Approximately 1 cup of sourdough start (I like to use leftover sourdough pancake batter.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water

I usually mix these ingredients in the morning, after breakfast. Cover the mixture loosely with a cloth and allow it to stand in a warm place all day long. By late afternoon the mixture should be bubbling. A couple of hours before service, continue with these additions:

1/4 cup sugar (This will cause browning.)
1/4 cup oil (I have used many different kinds!)
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB baking powder (You can leave this out and use a longer rise time.)
additional all-purpose flour, enough to create a soft and tender dough

Fully incorporate these last ingredients, kneading the dough lightly. Keep the dough soft by not adding too much flour; it should be slightly sticky. Pat the dough out on a floured surface and cut out with a floured biscuit cutter. Line biscuits out on a parchment-lined sheet; cover loosely with a towel and allow the biscuits to rest. When they show signs of slight rising, preheat the oven to 400*. Bake biscuits for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Sourdough Pancakes

Begin this recipe the night before you want to serve it for breakfast! Mix the following four ingredients into a large bowl that is not metal. Cover the mixture loosely with a towel and leave it in a warm place overnight.

Approximately 1 cup of sourdough starter
2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups lukewarm water

In the morning, beat together the following ingredients in a small bowl:

4 eggs
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Add the egg mixture to the bubbling sourdough mixture and incorporate well. The batter will be thin. Cook pancakes on a hot griddle, turning them over when generous bubbles appear on top.

This recipe makes LOTS of pancakes. Cutting the recipe in half works well for a small family. I also like to use the leftover batter as a start for the evening's sourdough biscuits!

Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Brown Butter Sugar Cookies 

From the Kitchen of Jenny & Andy

Ingredients:

- 6 oz (1.5 cups) butter

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 whole egg

- 1 3/4--2 cups all purpose flour 

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 tsp cinnamon


Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan until the butter starts to brown, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the brown sugar, baking powder, and egg and mix until combined. 
3. Fold in the flour, salt and cinnamon until you have a soft dough.
4. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 min.
5. Roll out your dough to about 1/2" thick and cut into desired shapes. (Optional: dust with a layer of brown sugar before baking)
6. Bake for 9-10 min at 375 degrees
7. Let cookies cool before eating.

This recipe is modified from Byron Talbot's recipe which can be found here.

Never Fail Pie Crust

This is Grandma Stewart's classic recipe! "Never fail" is true--when Jesse added six times too much sugar, it was still delicious (until we used the leftover dough for meat pie). For best results, allow the dough to refrigerate overnight before rolling. Extra dough can be frozen in a ziploc bag for later use.

4 cups flour 
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup shortening or lard
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar)
1 egg, beaten
1/4-1/2 cup ice-cold water (just put an ice cube in your water and let it sit until you're ready to use it)

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and sugar. 
2. Add shortening to flour mixture. Use pastry blender or your hands to combine ingredients until coarse crumbs form.
2. Add vinegar and egg. Mix water in slowly (you probably won't need the full 1/2 cup). Dough should be a little bit sticky. 
3. Form dough into 2-3 balls. Flatten slightly to make rolling easier. Wrap tightly in Plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Thaw dough for 15-20 minutes before rolling. Sandwich between two layers of floured wax paper to make rolling simple. Makes 2 double-crust (top and bottom) pies or 3-4 single-crust (bottom only) pies. 

Oatmeal Pancakes Gluten-free

You'll never feel deprived by this GF recipe! Just don't tell anyone and they'll never know it. Start this recipe the night before you plan to serve.

Combine these in a large bowl:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Stir, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, add these to the mixture:
2 beaten eggs
2 TBS melted butter

Add in the dry ingredients all at once:
1 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

This is a very thick batter. If you need to thin it down, just add more liquid. Cook on a hot, buttered griddle until pancakes are golden on each side. They are incredible served with fresh fruit!

I love to use this recipe if we ever have sour milk. Sometimes I will even sour the 2 cups of milk with 2 TB vinegar to make this recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This recipe caught my attention because I am limiting gluten in my diet. But I'm not the only one who enjoyed it! It was delicious enough that I even served it to company for treats on Family Home Evening. I'm eager to try it again when the raspberries come on this summer; that will be a great combination! My only regret is that I didn't get a photo of it before it disappeared.

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (19 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 TB vanilla extract
1 TB confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler until smooth.

Combine the beans and eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder; pulse to blend. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure the chocolate is fully incorporated. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioner's sugar just before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes: I'd like to upgrade this recipe with a higher grade of chocolate! It did take longer than 40 minutes to bake; you truly must use the knife to test doneness.