All-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
Baking powder
Water
Buttermilk
Cold butter
Salt
This recipe is very different because it doesn't have any measurements. Before I got this recipe, I was making biscuits from very precise measurements and I still wasn't getting the texture I wanted. You can make this recipe work even without the measurements.
Make sure the buttermilk, the butter, and the water are very cold. If you don't have buttermilk you can add about 1 T. of white distilled vinegar to 1/2 cup of cold milk. That makes an equal amount of buttermilk. If you don't have baking powder but you do have cream of tartar and baking soda, use 1 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons cream of tartar to make 1 T. of baking powder.
Mix up about equal parts whole wheat flour with all purpose flour. I like to start with about 3/4 cup of each to make about a dozen biscuits. You can just use all regular white flour or you can use all whole wheat flour, but the half-and-half version is my favorite. Supposedly, adding vital wheat gluten to the recipe if you are using whole wheat flour will make for fluffier biscuits that rise better. I would probably just use a bit more baking powder if I didn't have vital wheat gluten.
Add the salt and baking powder to the bowl with the flour. I use about a teaspoon salt and about 1 T. baking powder to the 1.5 c. flour amount. Again, experiment with the amounts and you may get the right biscuits for you. Mix thoroughly, then add the cold butter and "rub" the butter into the flour much like you would if you were making a pie crust. You know you have enough butter when you can see that most of the flour has become crumbly.
Add the buttermilk slowly, using a fork to mix it into the flour. You can use all buttermilk or use half buttermilk and half cold water. You know you have enough liquid in the mixture when it is a little wet but it kind of clumps together into dough balls.
Put about 1/4 - 1/2 c. flour onto your kneading surface (I like using a clean countertop) and then turn the dough onto the floured surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour onto the top of the dough. Start kneading gently by folding some of the flour from the surface into the dough. You can stop kneading and adding flour when the dough turns into a "tighter" ball that holds together. Don't over-knead! The less you knead the dough, the flakier the biscuits will be. They'll rise better.
The key, and I learned this from an admirable woman on Youtube named Misty, is to cook the biscuits in a covered cast iron pan over the stove. Just heat up some butter in the cast iron pan, arrange the biscuits in it, then cover the pan and cook over low heat. Flip the biscuits when the bottoms have browned to your liking, and continue to cook until the other side is also nicely browned.
*Note: Because this recipe doesn't have measurements, you have the freedom to experiment with the amounts and get the type of biscuits that you want. If you want a "heavier" biscuit, knead the dough for a minute longer (but not too long, otherwise the biscuits will be tough as nails!). The buttermilk is used to interact with the baking soda that's in the baking powder. That's why the vinegar and milk substitute works just as well. I will post pictures to illustrate how I make my biscuits, and hopefully the visuals will help you.
Here's a recipe that makes really delicious carnitas-style meat that goes great in tacos, burritos, or just with mashed potatoes or rice.
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Carnitas-style Pork Butt
2 lbs. pork (shoulder or butt cuts, boneless)
2-3 T. soy sauce
3 T. apple cider vinegar (use high quality ACV)
1 c. beef broth or hot water
1 tsp. crystal salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, ground
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
3-4 tsp. ground cumin
2 T. oil
1 whole medium-sized red onion, sliced
8-10 cloves crushed and roughly chopped garlic
First, slice the pork into 1" thick pieces. If you have a boneless pork butt, cut it widthwise so it lays reasonably flat in your dutch oven. Heat up the dutch oven over medium-high heat with the 2 T. oil. Add the pork when the oil is hot but not smoking hot.
Mix up all of the spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pork that is in the pot. Turn the pork pieces over once the first side has browned, then sprinkle the rest of the spices over this side.
Add the soy sauce, ACV, and water to the pot. Let cook, covered over medium-low heat, for 1.5 - 2 hours. Open once or twice to turn the meat and make sure it is not burning. Add the garlic after 1 hour of cooking.
Once the pork is soft and almost falling apart, use forks to shred the meat. Continue to cook uncovered until all of the juices have evaporated and the meat starts frying in its own fat. Then, add the sliced onion and continue to let the meat fry until the onions are translucent and the meat is lightly browned. ***
Super-Easy Fried Chicken
You can use any part of the chicken you want for this recipe. Legs, thighs, wings, or breasts.
Season your chicken with your favorite spices and herbs. Letting the chicken pieces marinate for a few hours will allow them to absorb more of the flavors from the seasonings.
For the coating:
1 cup flour (1 cup for every few pounds of chicken)
4 T. cornstarch
1/4 cup ground crackers (or grain cereal)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Mix these ingredients together.
For the "wet" part of the coating:
1 egg (use 1 egg for every 1 cup of buttermilk)
1 cup buttermilk
Beat these together until well-mixed.
Dip the chicken pieces in the egg/buttermilk mixture first, and then into the dry mixture. Repeat as many times as you want; the more you dip, the thicker the coating will be.
Shallow fry the chicken pieces in a large cast iron skillet with about 1/2" of oil (lard, peanut oil, vegetable oil - your choice!). The larger pieces (drumsticks and thighs) will take around 30-40 minutes when shallow-frying over medium heat. The other cuts should take around 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breast. The wings should not take too long. Cover the skillet so that the chicken pieces "bake" and cook thoroughly.
Yummy on its own or great with homemade white or brown gravy!
