It's Wednesday morning of Week Two.
Wednesdays are biscuits for breakfast at our house. Biscuits are the first thing I ever really baked all on my own. I fell in love with their buttery crumb and how well they pair with sweet things like jelly and honey. When I became a mom, I wanted to learn how to make the perfect biscuit. Biscuit mixes make subpar biscuits. I was so happy when I finally found the perfect recipe and mastered making these simple but satisfying breakfast breads.
Today we are eating them with butter and jelly. One of my favorite things. And the best thing to pair with them is a steaming cup of hot cocoa. When my kids were little, we would enjoy them on chilly mornings sitting on the balcony of our house overlooking the Superstition Mountains. There is something amazing about the two together. The sweet, creamy hot chocolate brings out the butter, slightly salty flavor of the tender crumb of the biscuits. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it.
Dinner is Sloppy Joes. They are scrumptious in their simplicity; ground beef with rich barbecue sauce on a bun. But not just any bun. A few years ago, I made buns for our hamburgers from my regular roll recipe. The difference between these and store bought buns was so dramatic, I've never been able to buy buns again. The buns made by this recipe as soft and perfect.
For dessert, I am making a berry crumble. Any kind of berry can be used but I chose strawberries and blueberries. They are really great together, both in their visual contrast and their taste contrast. The crumble is brown sugar and cinnamon-y. It's so good warm! I can't wait to end the day with it.
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| Biscuits with Jelly and Hot Chocolate |
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| Sloppy Joes with Homemade Buns, Salad and Berry Crisp |
BREAKFAST:
BISCUITS
1. I always bring my eggs to room temperature, so the first thing I do is put the 2 eggs in a bowl of warm water. The recipe also calls for buttermilk and since I use soured milk instead, I warm a cup of milk in the microwave and then pour a Tablespoon of vinegar in it. I preheat the oven to 425 degrees and let both the eggs and milk sit.
2. I put one cube (1/2 cup) of margarine, 2 cups four, 1 Tbsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and a teaspoon of salt in the bowl of my stand mixer.
3. Mix it on low, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula until it is a crumbly, uniform mixture.
4. With the mixer still set on low, add the soured milk and eggs.
5. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour until the dough pulls away from the sides but not so much that it isn't very soft (it should never feel stiff or firm, just not sticky).
6. Grease a cookie sheet. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and if it's sticky, sprinkle it with flour. Then pat it into a rectangular shape about 1 - 2 inches thick.
7. I don't have a biscuit cutter so I just use the mouth of a cup, that is the size I like, to cut out circles and place them on a greased baking sheet.
8. When you can't cut out any more circles, gently gather the dough into a ball and re-pat it into a 1-2 inch thickness again and continue making more until you've used all the dough.
9. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve hot with butter and jelly or honey with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. ENJOY!
DINNER:
SLOPPY JOE MEAT
1. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high and grease it. Put ground beef in the pan and use the side of a fork to break the meat into pieces.
2. Stir and cook the meat, keep crumbling it while it cooks.
3. Once the meat is completely browned, drain the fat from the meat.
4. Pour in bottled barbecue sauce, or the ingredients for homemade sauce. Stir until well combined and cook until thickened. Serve on homemade buns, see recipe below.
SOFT BUNS
1. Heat 2 cups of milk for about 4 minutes. Then pour into the bowl of stand mixer.
2. Add 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 Tbsp of salt and 1/2 cup of mashed potato flakes.
3. Add an egg and a cube of melted butter.
4. Mix well and let cool a little, then add the yeast. Let sit for a few minutes to let the yeast bubble /foam a little.
5. Add the 4-6 cups flour, one cup at a time. Let one cup mix in completely before adding another. Once the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and is primarily stuck on the paddle of the mixer - stop adding dough. It should be faintly sticky but not gooey, very soft and holds together.
6. Take the dough out of the bowl and then grease the bowl and put the dough back in. Let it rise until double, about an hour.
7. After it has doubled, punch it down, let it rest a few minutes. Then cut the dough in half. Cut the halves in halves. Then cut each of the four pieces into thirds. You should have a total of 12 pieces of dough.
8. Grease a baking sheet. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place it on the greased sheet, then do the same with the other pieces. Flatten each dough ball slightly, into a round bun shape.
9. Cover and let the buns rise until double, about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
10. Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Cool a little, then cut in half sideways to use as buns.
12. Fill with sloppy joe meat. ENJOY!
DESSERT:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together oats and flour.
2. Cut in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.
3. Cut the tops off the strawberries and cut into chunks.
4. Put the strawberries and blueberries in a medium size saucepan. Add sugar and cornstarch.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and let juices flow and thicken.
6. Grease the bottom of an 8x8 inch square pan. Press half of the crumbly oat mixture into the bottom of the greased pan.
7. Pour the berry mixture over the pressed crumb mixture.
8. Top the berries with the remaining crumb mixture.
9. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Eat while still warm. ENJOY!
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