Biscuit Toast

This time of year tends to harken fond memories as it creates new ones for future nostalgia. Weather, smells, tastes, turns of phrase can all spark the twinkle of memories not pondered since early childhood. 

This Christmas, my nostalgic memory lane waltz was sparked by biscuit toast.

As I was pouring cold buttermilk into buttery flour and feeling the cold creaminess of biscuit dough in the making, warmth spread over me like the soul touching heat that only a cast iron wood-burning stove can muster. I hand-shaped my biscuits, placed them in a cast iron skillet, and lightly brushed them with cream before shocking them into a fast rise at 450 degrees. My mother and grandmother didn’t use a biscuit cutter to make perfectly round biscuits, and neither do I. The hand-turned imperfectly rounded discs turn out with crunchy rough edges and a pillowy soft center that biscuit cutters with their perfect edges can’t produce. 

I turned the biscuits out on a wire cooling rack and immediately burned my fingers popping one open with a fork and slathering on European butter to melt in salty richness. As with a biscuit cutter, using a knife to cut open a biscuit makes the center smooth, eliminating the nooks that grab the butter in craggy pockets. Delicious.

I could hardly wait until breakfast to fork open a cold biscuit, smooth on some of that extra creamy European butter, and pop both halves into the toaster oven to lightly toast. The edges become crunchy, while the center remains soft. Dollop on fresh blueberry jam, and you have a delicious breakfast of biscuit toast.

My Nanna taught me this trick. We never wasted a morsel, so biscuits became toast. Old fruit became jelly. Imagine awaking to the savory scent of biscuits toasting with butter while berries and sugar simmered on the stove in a whirlwind of salty sweet love.

Try it yourself:

2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar (or leave it out)

1/2 stick cold European butter

1/4 cup shortening

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees and place cast iron skillet into oven to pre-heat. Rub a small amount of shortening on the skillet before pre-heating it to create a crunchy biscuit bottom. By the way, I usually use a clay baking stone instead of cast iron, because I think it provides a crunchier bottom, which I like. 

Sift the flour, baking powder/soda, salt, and sugar. Knead the butter and shortening into the flour. Pour in the buttermilk and gently mix until just combined. Over mixing or rough mixing will result in tough biscuits, and no one wants a tough biscuit. Lightly flour your hands and gently roll pieces of dough into balls. Place the dough on the pre-heated cast iron skillet (or clay baking stone) and gently press it down to form a disc. Remember, gentleness is key. Lightly brush cream on each biscuit and then place into the oven. Bake until golden brown. 

Note: If you want those delectable buttery notes in your biscuits, put the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking.