Lots of slivers of cold butter cut in, then microwaved 20 seconds,
stirred with spoon, repeat repeat repeat. Then add milk. 1st time
trying this. Anyone else try this? Did I reinvent the wheel? They
turned out kind of flat because i rolled them out too thin, but my son
loved them and he's really picky. Hmmm? What to put on butter
biscuits? That's easy, more butter.

--Bryan

"Bryan" > wrote in message

> Lots of slivers of cold butter cut in, then microwaved 20 seconds,
> stirred with spoon, repeat repeat repeat. Then add milk. 1st time
> trying this. Anyone else try this? Did I reinvent the wheel? They
> turned out kind of flat because i rolled them out too thin, but my son
> loved them and he's really picky. Hmmm? What to put on butter
> biscuits? That's easy, more butter.
>
> --Bryan

Not sure about the nuking but I might just try it. However, I'm with you all
the way on the butter.

Felice

On Apr 16, 11:19*am, "Felice" > wrote:
> "Bryan" > wrote in message
>
>
>
> > Lots of slivers of cold butter cut in, then microwaved 20 seconds,
> > stirred with spoon, repeat repeat repeat. Then add milk. 1st time
> > trying this. *Anyone else try this? *Did I reinvent the wheel? *They
> > turned out kind of flat because i rolled them out too thin, but my son
> > loved them and he's really picky. *Hmmm? *What to put on butter
> > biscuits? *That's easy, more butter.
>
> > --Bryan
>
> Not sure about the nuking but I might just try it. However, I'm with you all
> the way on the butter.

The idea is to sliver the butter very thinly and add it to the flour
mixture and stir to coat the butter, then add more butter and stir,
and repeat until all the butter is added. Then as you stir and nuke
over and over, on the last stirring before adding the milk, use the
spoon to smash and break up any buttery clumps. You could just wait
for time to warm the butter, but doing it this way I ended up with
biscuits in less than a half hour.
>
> Felice

--Bryan

On 4/16/2011 10:21 AM, Bryan wrote:
> Lots of slivers of cold butter cut in, then microwaved 20 seconds,
> stirred with spoon, repeat repeat repeat. Then add milk. 1st time
> trying this. Anyone else try this? Did I reinvent the wheel? They
> turned out kind of flat because i rolled them out too thin, but my son
> loved them and he's really picky. Hmmm? What to put on butter
> biscuits? That's easy, more butter.
>
> --Bryan


I learned this trick from The Two Fat Ladies: Freeze the butter. Cut
off the required amount (plus a tad more) and grate it on the large
holes of a box grater. The dad more is to compensate for what gets stuck
in the grater.

I have used this method for pie crusts and biscuits and find it's the
easiest way to get the butter into tiny bits.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:29:58 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

> I learned this trick from The Two Fat Ladies: Freeze the butter. Cut
> off the required amount (plus a tad more) and grate it on the large
> holes of a box grater. The dad more is to compensate for what gets stuck
> in the grater.
>
> I have used this method for pie crusts and biscuits and find it's the
> easiest way to get the butter into tiny bits.

Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 09:40:49 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> arranged random neurons and said:

>The idea is to sliver the butter very thinly and add it to the flour
>mixture and stir to coat the butter, then add more butter and stir,
>and repeat until all the butter is added. Then as you stir and nuke
>over and over, on the last stirring before adding the milk, use the
>spoon to smash and break up any buttery clumps. You could just wait
>for time to warm the butter, but doing it this way I ended up with
>biscuits in less than a half hour.

Way too much work, IMHO. I've made scratch buttermilk biscuits for the
entirety of my adult life and it never takes me more than a minute or
so to cut *softened* butter into the flour mixture using a pastry
blender. And if I want to soften the butter fast, that's what power
settings on the microwave are for.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

To reply, remove "spambot" and replace it with "cox"

On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:29:58 -0500, Janet Wilder
> > wrote:
>
>> I learned this trick from The Two Fat Ladies: Freeze the butter. Cut
>> off the required amount (plus a tad more) and grate it on the large
>> holes of a box grater. The dad more is to compensate for what gets stuck
>> in the grater.
>>
>> I have used this method for pie crusts and biscuits and find it's the
>> easiest way to get the butter into tiny bits.
>
> Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
> least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
> use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
>

Do you have a recipe for this method? I haven't had a full-sized FP for
a while and someone just gave me one.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Apr 16, 3:46*pm, Janet Wilder > wrote:
> On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:29:58 -0500, Janet Wilder
> > > *wrote:
>
> >> I learned this trick from The Two Fat Ladies: *Freeze the butter. Cut
> >> off the required amount (plus a tad more) and grate it on the large
> >> holes of a box grater. The dad more is to compensate for what gets stuck
> >> in the grater.
>
> >> I have used this method for pie crusts and biscuits and find it's the
> >> easiest way to get the butter into tiny bits.
>
> > Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? *I freeze or at
> > least partially freeze the butter first anyway. *Same with biscuits,
> > use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
>
> Do you have a recipe for this method? *I haven't had a full-sized FP for
> a while and someone just gave me one.
>
> --
> Janet Wilder
> Way-the-heck-south Texas
> Spelling doesn't count. *Cooking does.

I've been meaning to try http://www.food.com/recipe/southern-...biscuits-26110

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:46:55 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

> On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
> >
> > Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
> > least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
> > use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
> >
>
> Do you have a recipe for this method? I haven't had a full-sized FP for
> a while and someone just gave me one.

I usually cut the stick of butter into cubes and then freeze. How
frozen it gets depends on how much time I have, but it works out even
if the butter is refrigerator cold. The point is that your hands
aren't warming up the butter, so it all works out. I've also decided
that the water amount is off because I have to add at least one extra
tablespoon, usually more than that every time or the finished dough is
too dry. I have added parmesan cheese when making chicken pot pie and
it's delicious.


Food Processor Buttery Flaky Pie Crust (Pte brisée)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

(½ t sugar, or more for pte sucrée)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water

*add 1/4c grated parmesan cheese to the flour and salt, increase water
to 1/3c

Directions

1. Measure the flour and into the processor with the regular blade
attached. Add the unsalted butter, cut into cubes. (Your fat should
be frozen or very cold. You may vary the proportions, or use some
lard, but the total should be 8 tablespoons.) Pulse three times with
three counts per pulse to mix the ingredients lightly.

2. With the motor running, pour ice water into the work bowl just
until the dough just starts to get noticeably crumbly. Don't wait
until it is a big clump or it will be way too wet and will turn out
tough.

3. Stop the machine, dump the crumbly dough into a bowl, and gather
the dough into a ball with your hand. you can squeeze it a bit to
make it stick together. If it just won't form a ball, add a tiny bit
more water. (Note that if you are making crust in the food processor,
you will use less water than most recipes call for.)

4. Wrap your dough ball in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill it
about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll it out on a cool surface
if you can. Then follow your pie recipe for baking.



--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 4/16/2011 2:58 PM, Jerry Avins wrote:
> On Apr 16, 3:46 pm, Janet > wrote:
>> On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:29:58 -0500, Janet Wilder
>>> > wrote:
>>
>>>> I learned this trick from The Two Fat Ladies: Freeze the butter. Cut
>>>> off the required amount (plus a tad more) and grate it on the large
>>>> holes of a box grater. The dad more is to compensate for what gets stuck
>>>> in the grater.
>>
>>>> I have used this method for pie crusts and biscuits and find it's the
>>>> easiest way to get the butter into tiny bits.
>>
>>> Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
>>> least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
>>> use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
>>
>> Do you have a recipe for this method? I haven't had a full-sized FP for
>> a while and someone just gave me one.
>>
>> --
>> Janet Wilder
>> Way-the-heck-south Texas
>> Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
>
> I've been meaning to try http://www.food.com/recipe/southern-...biscuits-26110
>
> Jerry
> --
> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.

Thanks, Jerry.

Sounds like that method would work with just about any kind of biscuits..

BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
Kendall Park, NJ? I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
believe was an engineer, too.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:46:55 -0500, Janet Wilder
> > wrote:
>
>> On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
>> >
>> > Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
>> > least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
>> > use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
>> >
>>
>> Do you have a recipe for this method? I haven't had a full-sized FP for
>> a while and someone just gave me one.

Ina Garten's recipe is the best I've made.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water
Directions

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the
flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food
processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the
butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of
peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and
pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a
floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for
30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a
circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough
to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in
a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.


Cheri

On Apr 16, 7:52*pm, Janet Wilder > wrote:

...

> BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
> Kendall Park, NJ? *I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
> believe was an engineer, too.

Yes, Janet. That's me. I remember your name but not your face. there's
a picture of me at http://users.rcn.com/jyavins/.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:21:35 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

> Lots of slivers of cold butter cut in, then microwaved 20 seconds,
>stirred with spoon, repeat repeat repeat. Then add milk. 1st time
>trying this. Anyone else try this? Did I reinvent the wheel? They
>turned out kind of flat because i rolled them out too thin, but my son
>loved them and he's really picky. Hmmm? What to put on butter
>biscuits? That's easy, more butter.
>
>--Bryan

Do you mean that you incorporated all the butter into the flour
without leaving little butter bits? That would mean that the flour
was coated -- you don't want that. You want little, cold bits of
butter remaining in the dough. The bits produce steam and make the
biscuits fluffy. You probably knew that and I just didn't understand
what you were saying about the microwave.
Janet US

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:44:53 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Avins >
wrote:

> On Apr 16, 7:52*pm, Janet Wilder > wrote:
>
> ...
>
> > BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
> > Kendall Park, NJ? *I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
> > believe was an engineer, too.
>
> Yes, Janet. That's me. I remember your name but not your face. there's
> a picture of me at http://users.rcn.com/jyavins/.
>
Wow, small world!

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 4/16/2011 8:24 PM, Cheri wrote:
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:46:55 -0500, Janet Wilder
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/16/2011 1:48 PM, sf wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Have you ever made pie crust in the food processor? I freeze or at
>>> > least partially freeze the butter first anyway. Same with biscuits,
>>> > use the FP to cut in the butter and they turn out fantastic.
>>> >
>>>
>>> Do you have a recipe for this method? I haven't had a full-sized FP for
>>> a while and someone just gave me one.
>
> Ina Garten's recipe is the best I've made.
>
> Ingredients
>
> 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
> 3 cups all-purpose flour
> 1 teaspoon kosher salt
> 1 tablespoon sugar
> 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
> 6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water
> Directions
>
> Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the
> flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food
> processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add
> the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the
> size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed
> tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump
> out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and
> refrigerate for 30 minutes.
>
> Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a
> circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the
> dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in
> half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top
> crust.
>
>
> Cheri

Thanks, Cheri.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On 4/16/2011 8:44 PM, Jerry Avins wrote:
> On Apr 16, 7:52 pm, Janet > wrote:
>
> ...
>
>> BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
>> Kendall Park, NJ? I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
>> believe was an engineer, too.
>
> Yes, Janet. That's me. I remember your name but not your face. there's
> a picture of me at http://users.rcn.com/jyavins/.
>
> Jerry
> --
> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.

That is certainly the Jerry Avins I remember. Do you not find it
amazing that two old neighbors would meet on Usenet?

I'll email you with a photo.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On 4/16/2011 9:41 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:44:53 -0700 (PDT), Jerry >
> wrote:
>
>> On Apr 16, 7:52 pm, Janet > wrote:
>>
>> ...
>>
>>> BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
>>> Kendall Park, NJ? I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
>>> believe was an engineer, too.
>>
>> Yes, Janet. That's me. I remember your name but not your face. there's
>> a picture of me at http://users.rcn.com/jyavins/.
>>
> Wow, small world!
>

I am amazed! What are the chances of running into a former neighbor on
Usenet?

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:24:35 -0500, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

>On 4/16/2011 9:41 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:44:53 -0700 (PDT), Jerry >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Apr 16, 7:52 pm, Janet > wrote:
>>>
>>> ...
>>>
>>>> BTW, (I think I might have asked this before) Do you or did you live in
>>>> Kendall Park, NJ? I used to have a neighbor named Jerry Avins, whom, I
>>>> believe was an engineer, too.
>>>
>>> Yes, Janet. That's me. I remember your name but not your face. there's
>>> a picture of me at http://users.rcn.com/jyavins/.
>>>
>> Wow, small world!
>>
>
>I am amazed! What are the chances of running into a former neighbor on
>Usenet?

I met a neighbor on Usenet! Yeah, it is a small world.
Janet US