It is always exciting when I find a new Amish cookbook. This one called Country Cooking by the Amish of Buchanan County, Iowa is on loan to me. Friend Vali who is also a volunteer at Hillcrest Thrift Shop told me she had an Amish cookbook she would bring to me. It was copyrighted in 1978 by Ada Miller and Vali's copy is a 1983 edition.
I haven't had time to really look through it because I was getting ready for company and then they came. I did find this recipe for Dream Biscuits and thought I would make it while Friends Phyllis and Marshall were here.
I have made these biscuits three times now. The first time I made them for Phyllis and Marshall I used self rising flour and thought nothing about also adding the leavening agents. (I won't go into the details of why I used self rising flour - it was really stupid.) Surprisingly the biscuits looked great. They didn't taste terrible - just a little salty. For some reason the second time I made them (I was determined to make them right.) there was too much liquid (milk) for the flour mixture. I am still not sure why. I just added more flour until I could work the dough. They tasted okay, but I wasn't satisfied. (I don't like to share a recipe that's not good, you know.) Saturday morning I tried them again - this time for just my husband and me. I slowly added the milk and worked it in. I almost didn't add the last of the milk because the dough was a good consistency with about two tablespoons still in the measuring cup. But I went on and added it; I just had plenty of flour on the surface that I was "rolling" the dough out to cut into biscuits.
The biscuits (except for the first ones being a little salty) were good. The recipe is similar to my own personal recipe except I use buttermilk and, of course, baking soda then.
The recipe was contributed by Mrs. Alvin J. Yoder and makes 4+ biscuits depending on how thick you make them.
DREAM BISCUITS
1 cup flour (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut shortening into dry ingredients. (I sifted the dry ingredients twice first.) (I cut the shortening using my fingers.)
Add milk.
Roll out and cut. (I just work the dough on a floured surface a little bit and then just press it down to desired thickness.)
Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
I haven't had time to really look through it because I was getting ready for company and then they came. I did find this recipe for Dream Biscuits and thought I would make it while Friends Phyllis and Marshall were here.
I have made these biscuits three times now. The first time I made them for Phyllis and Marshall I used self rising flour and thought nothing about also adding the leavening agents. (I won't go into the details of why I used self rising flour - it was really stupid.) Surprisingly the biscuits looked great. They didn't taste terrible - just a little salty. For some reason the second time I made them (I was determined to make them right.) there was too much liquid (milk) for the flour mixture. I am still not sure why. I just added more flour until I could work the dough. They tasted okay, but I wasn't satisfied. (I don't like to share a recipe that's not good, you know.) Saturday morning I tried them again - this time for just my husband and me. I slowly added the milk and worked it in. I almost didn't add the last of the milk because the dough was a good consistency with about two tablespoons still in the measuring cup. But I went on and added it; I just had plenty of flour on the surface that I was "rolling" the dough out to cut into biscuits.
The biscuits (except for the first ones being a little salty) were good. The recipe is similar to my own personal recipe except I use buttermilk and, of course, baking soda then.
The recipe was contributed by Mrs. Alvin J. Yoder and makes 4+ biscuits depending on how thick you make them.
DREAM BISCUITS
1 cup flour (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Cut shortening into dry ingredients. (I sifted the dry ingredients twice first.) (I cut the shortening using my fingers.)
Add milk.
Roll out and cut. (I just work the dough on a floured surface a little bit and then just press it down to desired thickness.)
Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat piques my interest, I've heard of that cookbook before, but never been able to get my hands on it. I have an earlier one from Buchanan County. A lot of culturally relevant recipes have come from there, I'll be interested to see what else you find in there! - Kevin Williams, Amish365
ReplyDeleteFortunately Vali told me I could keep it as long as I like, Kevin. I have to ask her how she got it. I bought another cookbook last Friday that I haven't checked out yet (crazy, I know) so I will probably be making lots of Amish recipes for a while. Patricia
Delete