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If you’re in a hurry making Cinnamon Rolls from biscuit dough is the way to go.  It is quick to put together and taste so good.  This group of students had no big problems  putting these things together.  A couple of groups still need to work of kneading the dough.  They haven’t quite got the knack of how much to handle it to make the end product light and fluffy.  But, I really can’t complain because they were all better than usual.  I had none that could break out windows.

Here are the results for you to judge for yourself.  If you want to make them yourself  here is the Biscuit recipe and from there can make the variation of Cinnamon rolls here.

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Happy Cooking,

The Teacher Cooks

For our second lab of the semester we made these Cheese and Garlic Drop Biscuits.  They are so easy and quick to prepare.  Plus they are just plain delicious.  I am loving my students for this semester.  They are all eager to learn how to prepare all kinds of food.  I still have to work on a few students that are a little lazy about writing down the steps and the amounts of ingredients, but failure can be a good learning experience.

Here is the recipe that we used along with photos that give step by step instructions so that you are sure to have successful results.  Now take a look at what my students so lovingly created for me to taste and for them to enjoy.   

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Happy Cooking,

The Teacher Cooks

These little jewels are easy to make, but still many cooks get impatient and handle the dough too much resulting in very compact little biscuits.  Just be aware that you should not hurry up the process.  It takes awhile to work in the flour mixture.  The sausage balls should be light and fluffy not dense and hard.  If you follow these steps your product will be something that is great to eat and not a tool for breaking up ice on your driveway.

This is all that you will need.

1 lb. of sausage ( I like to use hot), 3 cups of Bisquick , 1 lb. of sharp sausage and if you like 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper or hot sauce

Finely grate cheese.  I use this to get mine really fine.  

Just a little advice to make the mixing a little easier.  Take the sausage out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients.  Measure out 3 cups of Bisquick, but don’t add all of it at once.  Work in about 1/2 cup at the time with a wooden spoon.  Here is cheese, sausage, and 1 cup of Bisquick.

Here is how it should look with all 3 cups of Bisquick added.  Now you are ready to roll.

Using your hand  lightly roll about a tablespoon of the mixture.  Don’t mash the ingredients together with a heavy hand.  You will end up with a bunch of rocks!

Ready to bake.    

Yum! Right out of the oven.  Here you go with the very simple recipe that I am sure will please all.

Sausage and Cheese Balls

• 1 lb. sausage ( I prefer hot)  allow it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes
• 12 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 3 cups Bisquick
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper or hot sauce , optional

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix finely grated cheese, sausage, and 1/2 cup of Bisquick with a wooden spoon.  Be patient.  As the Bisquick is worked in with the sausage and cheese add the rest of the Bisquick about 1/2 cup at the time until all is worked in.
3. Roll about tablespoon in the palm of your hand.  Do this carefully so as not the pack the mixture.  It should be lightly mixed. 
4. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes. 

Yield about 3 dozen fantastic sausage and cheese balls

Happy Cooking,

The Teacher Cooks

Here is an alternative to the timely recipe that you can throw together in a matter of minutes.  They are delicious, too.

Last week I gave the demo for these lovely rolls and this group of students do amaze me!  I love my job because my students are so attentive and hang onto every word I say.  They really appreciate what I do and actually tell me.  How lucky am I?

I left the door wide open for this lab.  So don’t be surprised at what you see.  A few years back I would have never let them be so creative.  It is their experiment in the kitchen and who knows maybe the next top chef will emerge.

The recipe and photographs for the cinnamon rolls are found here.  Remember that if you get the urge for some hot tasty rolls with a cup of joe and you just have about twenty minutes, then this recipe will work for you.  Now take a look at what my classes created last Friday.  I was very pleased and they were, too.  By the way this is our last Hooray for quick breads.  We are moving on to another unit next week.

Happy Cooking,

The Teacher Cooks

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I personally think that every good cook should be able to put good homemade biscuits on the table.  Now that I have said that let me say this.  I don’t think that biscuits are very healthy.  In fact they’re not very healthy at all, but man they are good!  Every so often you just have to have one or maybe two.  Last winter I made these buttermilk biscuits that were divine and in the fall I made these that are my old standby.  Well, I took my old standby and changed it up a bit.  These little bites of buttery goodness are easy to put together and good enough to serve at a dinner party.  Don’t confuse them with the butter muffins made with butter and sour cream.   

Making biscuits is an art, but I know it can be done!  I teach about one hundred and twenty teens to make them every year.  It takes three or four times before you get a feel for the dough so don’t give up.  For those of you that make biscuits you should try this recipe.  Really!  They will melt in your mouth.  Just remember they are better right out of the oven and not so good the next day.  

Here are the step by step directions to help you get these bits of butter on your table.  

Start with 2 cups of White Lily self rising flour and use a pastry blender to cut 2 tablespoons of Crisco into the flour until it is the size of peas.  

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.  

Add 2/3 cup of milk.  

Stir dough until it cleans the sides of the bowl.  

Place dough on a floured surface.  Sift a little flour on top of the dough to keep from being too sticky and flour both hands.  Knead the dough with the hands.  This means to fold  the dough in half about 4 times.  Notice the folds in the next photo.  

In the meantime, melt 1/2 stick of butter in an 8 in. or  9 in. square pan .  Press the dough with the hands until it is the same size as the pan.  

Cut dough into quarters.  

Then each quarter into four strips.  

Dip each strip into the melted butter that is in the bottom of the pan.  The dough will be handled less if the top is dipped first. Turn the strip over and place in the pan close together.  

Bake for 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven. Here they are right out of the oven.  

Butter Biscuits  

• 2 cups White Liliy self rising flour
• 2 tablespoons Crisco
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 stick of butter

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Put rack in the center of the oven.
2. Melt butter in an 8 or nine-inch square pan.  Watch carefully if you are melting in the oven. 
3. Cut Crisco into flour with a pastry blender until it is the size of small peas.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour and Crisco mixture.
5. Pour 2/3 cup of milk.
6. Stir with a fork until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
7. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Knead the dough about four times until smooth and spongy feeling.
9. Press dough out with the hands until it is the same size as the pan.
10. Cut into fourths. Then cut each fourth into four strips.
11. Very carefully turn each strip over and dip  the tops into butter and place the bottom in the pan.  This will decrease the number of times you handle the dough.
12. Place them into the pan close together.
13. Bake for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned.

Yields 16 pieces of buttery goodness  

Here is what my wonderful students did the first time making this recipe.   I demonstrated my old standby as well as the butter biscuits.  They could choose between the two.    I was very impressed and I think that you will be ,too.  

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Happy Cooking,  

The Teacher Cooks

Students are continually finding recipes they want me to prepare for them in class.  This recipe for Pull-Apart Pecan Sticky Buns is one of those pulled from some unknown magazine and has been sitting in a folder waiting for me to try it.      Today was audition day and it was a winner. You can’t go wrong with butter, cream cheese, and pecans.    I made several changes.   The recipe called for using a tube pan and I used two 8- in cake pans to hasten the cooking time.  I do strongly suggest using 9 inch cake pans.  In my opinion the buns in the middle of the pan were a little doughy.  My students said they were good, but I prefer a flakier crust.   The original recipe made 20 buns and I divided each biscuit into two layers making 40 servings.  This of course makes more servings, but now each serving has half the calories.  This is by no means a healthy recipe unless you count the pecans as protein! The sticky topping with the pecans  is heavenly.  If this is a little too much for you check out these rolls that I did at the beginning of last semester.  They are very good, just not as many calories.

You cannot go wrong with biscuit dough wrapped around cream cheese that has been rolled in cinnamon and sugar. More decadence comes by dipping the ball of dough into butter then into more cinnamon and sugar.  Sinful!  Next time you are looking for a good easy addition to breakfast or brunch try the Pull-Apart Pecan Sticky Buns.

Pull-Apart Pecan Sticky Buns   adapted from an unknown magazine

• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
• 1/3 cup maple syrup ( I used pancake syrup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 can (12 oz.each) refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
• 1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese cut into 40 cubes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  I used convection bake.
2. Lightly grease 2 round cake pans.  I suggest using 9 inch.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and mix with syrup.
4. Divide the  pecans  placing them in the bottom of the prepared cake pans
5. Drizzle the butter and syrup mixture over the pecans and set aside.
6. Melt the remaining butter in a small bowl.
7. Mix together cinnamon and sugar.
8. Separate each biscuit into 2 circles.  You will then have 40 circles.
9. Roll cubes of cream cheese in sugar.  I put about 10 in at the time and stirred gently until they were covered.
10. Flatten each biscuit circle a little while hold in your hand and place a cube of cream cheese that has been rolled in sugar in the middle of the biscuit circle.  Pinch the edges together.
11. Dip top of each ball into butter, then into cinnamon sugar.
12. Arrange the balls cinnamon sugar-sides up in prepared pan.   20 balls for each pan. 
13. Drizzle with remaining butter.
14. Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes until golden brown.  The length of cooking time will depend on the size of the cake pan.
15. Cool for 1 minute in the pan; invert onto serving platter.  Serve warm

Makes 40 servings     You can easily cut this recipe in half by using just 1 can of biscuits and adjust the other ingredients.

Here are some photos to give you an idea how each stage looks.

Ready to go in the oven

Right out of the oven and ready to flip on a platter.

So good! Pecans and cream cheese!

• These are so easy to make.
• They are better than the drop biscuits that we made from Bisquick.
• We have all the ingredients at home.
• Why would anyone buy those refrigerated things when you can make these?
• You can make these really small , eat two and fool yourself into thinking you are eating more.
• I had no idea that I could bake biscuits that tasted so good.
• We can save money baking biscuits from scratch.
• I want to make these for my mom.

So  my mission for this unit is accomplished and we are ready to move on. 

You will find the recipe for Basic Biscuits here and to make the Cheese Biscuits make the following changes:

I love using my food processor for grating cheese.  It is fast, you can grate a lot and then freeze it.  Saves you time later. 

For the Cheese Biscuits use 1 cup of Sharp Cheddar .  I packed it in the cup so mine were really cheesy!

 After cutting shortening into the flour stir the cheese into the flour and shortening. Then add 3/4 cup of milk.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead 2-3 times.  Press out dough to about 1 inch thick.

Cut biscuits out with a biscuit cutter and place into a lightly greased pan.  Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.  Brush with melted butter and enjoy! Happy Baking,

Here is what my students accomplished today.  Vote for one.  (That’s going to be hard)

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Omit 2 tablespoons of melted butter .  Stir 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1/3 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the chilled flour mixture before adding buttermilk. Proceed with recipe as directed.  Stir together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 -3 tablespoons buttermilk until smooth.  Drizzle over warm biscuits.  Makes about 2 dozen.

Today my classes made cinnamon rolls using this recipe.   First making this biscuit dough. You be the judge of the appearance.  I was very pleased with the results.  Of course, there is always room for improvement for some groups.  They are all novice cooks.  Several of them still try to measure flour in a liquid measuring cup.  One group forgot to preheat their oven.  Another handled the dough a little too much.  

Those of us that cook know what it feels like when  compliments come our way, but for high school students working on their self-esteem this is a big morale booster.   At least 5 students this week shared  photos they preepared and ate  with their families.  They were proud of their accomplishment!   That makes me smile!  Have a great weekend after voting for your favorite group.

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My Gosh, I have  been cheating myself.  These biscuits are absolutely the best I’ve ever eaten.  And  I have tasted my share of biscuits.  2,000 to be exact!  I didn’t even  figure in the ones that I  baked nor the ones I’ve eaten at friends and family.  So I know biscuits.  WRONG!  These are incredible.  I first saw them in Southern Living in November of 2007.  I even pulled the recipe out to save and try later.  I just kept looking at it thinking, “ They can’t be that great.”     

My students made this recipe and I wanted to post something different. So here it is  Buttermilk Biscuits that got pushed to the back burner.  After all I have made buttermilk biscuits many times in my life. What’s the big deal?  It appeared again last month in Southern Living Our Test Kitchen Secrets.  Secret?  What could be so secret about making biscuits?  

Yesterday I tried the new recipe and was not that thrilled with the results.  It was good but not great.  I was ready to sit down today and write the post and say just that.  Then, I thought about it all afternoon.  I must have done something wrong.    Why would they publish it twice if it was just ordinary?  And besides the picture is down right obscene!  So I made them again!  Words cannot express the taste!  These little morsels are angelic!  What happened to the first round?  Just a slip of the recipe and all was lost. The  keys to your  success are here for you.   

Here are some things that I learned about making biscuits that I did not know and that you should know:  

1.  Dust the work surface with all-purpose flour.  I have always used the same flour that the recipe called for self-rising.  The reason:  The leavening in self-rising leaves a bitter taste on the outside of biscuits.  Where did that come from?  No one told me this for all these years!!!   

2.  Yesterday I used a dark pan.  That is OK if you want a dark thick crust on the bottom of your biscuits, but I don’t like that.  The recipe calls for a jelly roll pan which has a very short lip.  This pan does not brown the bottom so therefore the result is a much softer inside crumb.  I used mine today and it works so much better.   This is good!  

3.  I have always shaped biscuits with my hands, but for high school students to do this is very hard.  They handle them too much and add more flour making a tough biscuit.  This recipe says to cut with a  pastry cutter.  Yesterday I  used a closed cutter that was 2 in. in diameter.  Today I used a pizza cutter and cut them in 24 equal pieces.    It worked great!   So don’t twist the cutter or you’ll seal the edges of the biscuit and reduce the rise.  And the same with a glass , don’t use one.  Both sides of the cutter need to be open to let air to exit.   I knew that you should not twist the cutter, but never thought  that it would deter the rise.   

GI Joe has been home sick  for two days and has been the tester for the biscuits.  Today he had to remove the pan from the kitchen before I stuffed every single one of these things in my mouth.  I am not lying to you. They are fabulous!!!  I will be testing out the next 3 variations of this recipe and sharing them with you, but right now I have to head to the gym and get a handle on these handles!  

Here is what you need for the best buttermilk biscuits that I have ever had in my entire life.  I promise!  

1 stick of butter that is cold

Add butter to 2 1/4 cups of White Lily Self-rising flour

Using pastry blender cut butter pea size and chill for 10 minutes.

After shaking buttermilk add 1 1/4 cups

Stir with a fork until the sides of the bowl are cleaned

On  cutting board sift all-purpose flour .  Add the dough.  I added a small amount of self-rising flour to the dough to keep it from being too sticky and some to my hands.  Knead the dough 2-3 times.  Press the dough  out  and folded it into thirds.  

Here is the dough folded into thirds

Press out again into a rectangle 9×5 and fold into thirds.  Do this for a total of 3 times.  

Pat dough 1/2 inch thick cut out with a 2- in cutter and place side by side on parchment paper or lightly greased jelly roll pan.  I used a pizza cutter to cut the biscuits.  Southern Living recommends using a steel pastry knife.  I did not separate the biscuits after cutting them.  I used a bent edged spatula and lifted them into the pan.   Dough should touch.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven: brush with 2 tablespoons of  melted butter.  Now run!!   If you don’t,  you will want to put all of them in your mouth .  I did!  Man these are good!  

Here is the recipe:  

Our Best Buttermilk Biscuits  

from Southern Living              Makes 2 dozen  

Prep time 20 min.    Chill time 10 min.  Bake time  13 min.  

• 1/ 2 cup cold butter
• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour ( Use White Lily)
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• Parchment paper
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  I used convection bake.  Cut cold butter with a sharp knife or pastry blender into 1/4 in. slices. Sprinkle butter slices over flour in a large bowl.  Toss butter with flour.  Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas.  Cover and chill 10 minutes.  Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Don’t go stir crazy here.  It will make biscuits tough.   

Turn dough out onto a floured surface.  Remember to use plain flour.  Knead 3 or 4 times, gradually adding additional flour as needed.  ( I kept self-rising flour on hand for this step) With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches) Sprinkle top with additional flour.  Fold dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end.  Fold dough rectangle as if folding a letter-size piece of paper.  Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches)  

Press or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface: cut with a 2-inch cutter.  I used a pizza cutter and cut dough into 24 equal pieces.  Not separating the dough I used a bent-edged spatula and placed them in a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper.  If using a biscuit cutter, use an open ended one.  Place biscuits in pan with the sides touching each other.   

Bake at 450 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove from oven; brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  

Here’s what my students made yesterday.  Only one class cooked because you guessed it -  it snowed! 

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Our 1st Place Winner!

The recipe and all the interesting things that happened in our first lab of the semester is located on the previous post.

Here are the results of today’s bake-off.  Everyone did just great.  Vote for the one that you think deserves the top of this post.  Voting ends Sunday!  Good luck!

To vote go to the comments.  Remember that your e-mail address will not be shared.  It is just for my use to answer questions that you might have.  So here you go with today’s reults:

And a very close 2nd place winner!