12 New Things: August~Biscuits!

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post on 12 new things that I plan to learn over the next year. For August, my goal was to learn how to make homemade biscuits and NOT bricks.

I cannot tell you the countless number of times I have made biscuits and each and every time they have turned out horrible. You may say--oh they probably weren't that bad, but when my husband chooses CANNED biscuits over homemade biscuits--there is a problem there!

So I have been working ALL month long trying to learn to make the "perfect" homemade biscuit. Everyone I know said, Oh I use the White Lily recipe. It's SO easy.  I used that recipe--and it failed--three times. So then I decided to watch the video on their website about making perfect biscuits (you can find that video HERE).

Here is what I discovered I hadn't been doing from watching the video:

~Whisking the flour before adding anything to it.

~Making sure the measurements were exact.

~Putting my biscuits close together for soft sides

~Patting them out verses rolling them out (this tip came from another website)

~Putting the temperate at the highest setting on the stove

~Making my pan silver instead of a dark coated pan

After watching the video, I decided it was time to try again--for the fourth time this month.

So far so good!

This time, they even looked different on the tray! They were more fluffier and less packed as before. I did not have a silver pan, so I used aluminum foil and it worked wonders!




Notice that the biscuit on the right is from earlier this month. See how squished it is. It was heavy and dense and just downright--blah!

The biscuit on the left however, is from today! Light, fluffy, soft, YUMMY!

I did it! I finally did it! I made biscuits from scratch and they rocked!

Now to make up a batch and flash freeze them so I will have biscuits on hand to cook every morning!

Here's the recipe.

White Lily Homemade Biscuits

Ingredients
2 cups of self rising flour
1/4 cup of shortening
2/3-3/4 cup of milk or buttermilk

Directions

1. Dump flour in a separate bowl and whisk slightly to break up the clumps.
2. Measure flour into measuring cup with a spoon. Using a butter knife on the non cutting side, even your flour out in the cups. Pour into different mixing bowl.
3. Press shortening in measuring cup and level it off the same way. 
4. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a fork.
5. Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and pour milk in.
6. Mix gently with a fork until just combined.
7. Flour work surface and dump dough out on the counter.
8. Knead 2-3 times just to make sure everything is mixed evenly.
9. Gently press dough out to about an inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. (Don't twist cutter. Just insert and press straight down and come back out. Twisting will result in biscuits not rising properly)
10. Place cut biscuits on prepared baking sheet. (I oiled my pan up and then ran my biscuits through the oil on both sides). Make sure if you want soft sided biscuits to place them close together.
11. Butter tops of biscuits before baking.
12. Bake in a 500 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Next month, I am teaching myself how to decoupage something. We will see how that turns out!

12 New Things

http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com

I love Sarah Mae's idea of learning one new thing each month for the next twelve months. I decided to join her since this is something right up my alley!

After thinking about it this morning, here are the twelve things I want to accomplish and learn.

August: I want to make homemade biscuits--NOT bricks, which is what mine keep turning out like.

September: I want to decoupage something. I saw this really cute plates that someone made that you hang on the wall and they were decoupaged--so I want to make some of these for Christmas gifts using the adorable plates at the Dollar Tree.

October: Pajamas. I want to sew some pajamas for my daughter for Christmas, and finish her blanket that I promised to make her.

November: I want to learn how to create a lovely tablescape. I see all these neat tablescapes, but I am just not crafty enough to make one look gorgeous.

December: I want to learn how to freezer cook. Plain and simple!

January: Basket Weaving. It just looks fun!

February: Planning out a garden and knowing what to plant FIRST! I have no clue how to do this.

March: Landscaping. I want to plant flowers but I want to know how to design it so that it is functional and beautiful.

April: French braid my daughter's hair because she has been asking me to learn.

May: Learn to play the guitar ( I started but then got frustrated)

June: Learn to bend metal and hang it like my husband (it goes around new replacement windows so that the wood doesn't ever have to be painted again). There is an art to that, one of which I do not possess!

July: Learn to cook Thai and Indian food, because I have heard it is delicious.

This is my list! I am really excited about this because I want to learn something new, and having a list will help me to stay more structured and actually DO them.