It's funny how that one little thing can make the difference between barely edible and melt in yer mouth tasty.
Way back when I lived in California, I used to bake Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. And they were scrumptious. I just got back into cooking and baking again and the last three batches weren't nearly as good as I remember. Maybe the chips changed over the years...or my taste buds have.
Very timely. I was helping Son #5 move into his new apartment and he suggested going to Popeye's for lunch just this Saturday. I commented that the biscuits were not as good as what I had in the south (all five sons went to school in the south, as did my wife and I), but all the southern chains made a better biscuit than what we otherwise got up here. He agreed, remembering especially the biscuits in Central Missouri when he was at Fort Leonard Wood. We were puzzled. It's just milk, flour, and shortening. Why is this complicated?
Cake flour also is softer than AP flour. I just read that White Lily is less bleached, so some people claim it has a less chemical flavor. I've never tried making biscuits from cake flour, but I have just sent off for some White Lily, so I'll see how it goes.
I'm not familiar with self-rising flour. I've always just added the baking powder and, if the ingredients are acidic (like buttermilk), the recipe calls for a little extra baking soda.
Re Tollhouse cookies, there probably is a lot of difference among chocolate chips, and it could also be that either the trend is toward a more bittersweet taste, or that the chips are the same but you've gravitated towards a bittersweet preference. But a good tip for excellent cookies and brownies is to brown your butter first. Ditto nuts, which always benefit from pre-toasting.
It's funny: I'm very fond of chocolate, but I don't really want it in a Tollhouse cookie. I prefer them with nuts only.
Every day I ever woke up in her house, she made bacon and biscuits. She reserved the grease from the bacon to make the next batch of biscuits. I do it exactly that way on Sunday mornings.
I probably don't qualify as a Southerner, but honestly biscuits from a can are pretty tasty. You have to mess up a recipe pretty bad for a bread-like product that comes fresh out of the oven not to have serious appeal.
Mike, good grief, you're not making a roux, just putting the butter in a pan long enough for it to develop some detectable color! Obviously you can't leave the kitchen while this is happening. It takes only a minute or two. Ditto the nuts: as soon as you can smell them at all, they're ready to come out of the oven. A few minutes, tops.
It's funny how that one little thing can make the difference between barely edible and melt in yer mouth tasty.
ReplyDeleteWay back when I lived in California, I used to bake Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. And they were scrumptious. I just got back into cooking and baking again and the last three batches weren't nearly as good as I remember. Maybe the chips changed over the years...or my taste buds have.
Very timely. I was helping Son #5 move into his new apartment and he suggested going to Popeye's for lunch just this Saturday. I commented that the biscuits were not as good as what I had in the south (all five sons went to school in the south, as did my wife and I), but all the southern chains made a better biscuit than what we otherwise got up here. He agreed, remembering especially the biscuits in Central Missouri when he was at Fort Leonard Wood. We were puzzled. It's just milk, flour, and shortening. Why is this complicated?
ReplyDeleteGood article.
Cake flour also is softer than AP flour. I just read that White Lily is less bleached, so some people claim it has a less chemical flavor. I've never tried making biscuits from cake flour, but I have just sent off for some White Lily, so I'll see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with self-rising flour. I've always just added the baking powder and, if the ingredients are acidic (like buttermilk), the recipe calls for a little extra baking soda.
Re Tollhouse cookies, there probably is a lot of difference among chocolate chips, and it could also be that either the trend is toward a more bittersweet taste, or that the chips are the same but you've gravitated towards a bittersweet preference. But a good tip for excellent cookies and brownies is to brown your butter first. Ditto nuts, which always benefit from pre-toasting.
It's funny: I'm very fond of chocolate, but I don't really want it in a Tollhouse cookie. I prefer them with nuts only.
Thanks for the tip on the butter, but unfortunately, every time I try to "brown" butter for other recipes, I burn it and smoke/stink up the kitchen.
DeleteMy grandmother made them with White Lily flour and bacon grease.
ReplyDeleteBacon grease or Lard make the best biscuits.
DeleteEvery day I ever woke up in her house, she made bacon and biscuits. She reserved the grease from the bacon to make the next batch of biscuits. I do it exactly that way on Sunday mornings.
DeleteI'm almost afraid to ask what a Southerner would think of Pillsbury biscuits from a can...
ReplyDeleteI probably don't qualify as a Southerner, but honestly biscuits from a can are pretty tasty. You have to mess up a recipe pretty bad for a bread-like product that comes fresh out of the oven not to have serious appeal.
ReplyDeleteMike, good grief, you're not making a roux, just putting the butter in a pan long enough for it to develop some detectable color! Obviously you can't leave the kitchen while this is happening. It takes only a minute or two. Ditto the nuts: as soon as you can smell them at all, they're ready to come out of the oven. A few minutes, tops.