Good Ol' Southern Baking

This is the recipe I've used for years for American southern biscuits, scones, savory empanadas, and hand held fruit pies. For scones, I split the milk to half cream and half milk. Not 'half and half' product. And I add a few spoons of sugar and sometimes a little vanilla extract. 

We had some berries in the freezer that really needed to be used so I made little fruit pies. I ended up not pinching the little pies together enough and they opened a bit. That's okay. I just licked the gooey yummy thickened berry juices off the baking paper when I took them out of the oven. I considered it a tip for the cook. 

Ten seconds after snapping a pic, I had tea in one hand and a hot scone in the other.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour (you can also mix whole wheat and white)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup milk

Blend the dry ingredients sort of sifting them with a fork as you go. Blend in the softened butter with your fingertips. Then add the milk and mix until the dough starts to follow the fork around the bowl. Turn it out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead 10-12 times. You can roll it out and cut 8-10 biscuits or just grab chunks and kind of roll into a ball and flatten a bit. Bake at 450F (230C) for 12 minutes or until turning a golden brown. 

Mine were done before 12 minutes were up. This was not my usual oven and you have to get to know your oven.

Use these to make lunch box apple pies. Or mix up a savory meat and veggie filling. Roll out the cut biscuits until they are very nearly flat. Place a couple of tablespoons of filling in the middle and fold the dough to a semi-circle. Pinch the edges together using milk on your fingertips to glue it all together. Bake at 350F (180C) for 15-20 minutes. Cover them with a little foil the first 5 minutes if you find they are browning too quickly.