Comfort Food

[lewisnotmiller]

LOL! No one wants to put gravy on a scone. You put it on a biscuit. Hmm, let's compare basic recipes. you provide one for scones. I will provide one for biscuits:

I hope it is not too long:

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for hands and work surface
• 2 Tablespoons aluminum free baking powder (yes, Tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold (see note)
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml) cold buttermilk, divided
• 2 teaspoons honey
• optional honey butter topping: 2 Tablespoons melted butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. See photo above for a visual. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
3. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk and drizzle honey on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. See photo above for a visual.
4. Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. The dough will become sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough horizontally. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one last time. Flatten into the final 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
5. Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have about 8-10 biscuits. Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note) or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
6. Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven, brush warm tops with optional honey butter, and enjoy warm.

More details here, please note, if using for biscuits and gravy only use the little big of honey in the biscuit. Do not use additional honey:

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits - Sally's Baking Addiction

Not the recipe I'd use, there are a few tweaks to make them lighter, etc, but this gives the basic idea.

Basic scone

• 2 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 60 gram cold butter, chopped
• 3/4 cup cold milk, plus extra to glaze
• jam or marmalade, to serve
• whipped cream, to serve

Basic scone

• 1
  Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper. Sift into a large bowl. Rub in butter to make fine crumbs.
• 2
  Make a well in centre; add milk. Using a round-bladed knife, cut through mixture until it forms a soft dough, adding 1-2 tablespoons more milk if needed. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly until smooth, then shape into a 2cm-thick round.
• 3
  Using a 5.5cm cutter dipped into flour, cut round from dough. Place scones side by side on prepared tray. Brush tops with extra milk to glaze. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and well risen. Serve scones with jam and cream.

 

[crossfire]

My comfort foods:

• Homemade chicken pot pie topped with yeast dough and baked
• Rice pudding with dried apricots
• Spaghetti carbonara
• Scalloped potatoes
• Fried egg sandwich
• Turkey or chicken divan with broccoli and rice
• Homemade bread with homemade soup

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Well, well, well.....

I've just come across a recipe for "Bacon-Praline Macaroni and Cheese." Three cheeses (sharp cheddar, cream, and American) with butter, flower and eggs to make the sauce, and all mixed up with applewood-smoked bacon crumbled and pralines (pecans caramelized in butter and brown sugar).

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm willing to bet this is could well fall into the category of really, really good comfort food.

 

[Jainarayan]

• Oatmeal. I prefer the long cooking variety but in its absence quick cooking is ok. Instant is an abomination though.
• Pasta and tomato (marinara) sauce. Preferably the next day and reheated. We even fry it. Yep, fried macaroni. Heat a cast iron skillet with oil, pour the pasta in, let it get browned and crispy. Btw, my Sicilian ancestors are drawing knives because of my use of the word pasta.
• Grits, scrapple, poached eggs
• Mac ‘n cheese. Good Mac ‘n cheese.

 

[Vinayaka]

As long as it's vegetarian, I like it. Boss has indicated many times she feels lucky to have married a non-fussy eater. If I'm tired, I'll do a microwave baked potato with butter and curry leaves, those pre-made hash brown patties, or pasta, or a grilled cheese sandwich with a dill pickle, or a quick tossed salad, or a single tomato, or an avocado as if it was a large egg, just cut in two, add pepper, and scoop it out, or in summer, kale or swiss chard or a carrot from the garden.

There is very little I dislike, although sweets and I don't mix. Neither does booze although I had my first taste of booze in about 3 years about an hour ago. Son in law is into making mead so I tried about a half an ounce.

 

[John53]

Gravy? Pure heathenry...

My goodness...this is why Mother England had to break away from you guys. Jam and cream goes on a scone. The best biscuits are Tim Tams, of course, since you can serve them with coffee or use them as a chocolatey straw to drink booze through.

It's not gravy, it's tasteless white gloop, not sure what it is exactly but it resembles the glue they gave us in kindergarten back in the 60s.

 

[John53]

LOL! No one wants to put gravy on a scone. You put it on a biscuit. Hmm, let's compare basic recipes. you provide one for scones. I will provide one for biscuits:

I hope it is not too long:

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for hands and work surface
• 2 Tablespoons aluminum free baking powder (yes, Tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold (see note)
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml) cold buttermilk, divided
• 2 teaspoons honey
• optional honey butter topping: 2 Tablespoons melted butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. See photo above for a visual. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
3. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk and drizzle honey on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. See photo above for a visual.
4. Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. The dough will become sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough horizontally. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one last time. Flatten into the final 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
5. Cut into 2.75 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have about 8-10 biscuits. Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note) or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
6. Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven, brush warm tops with optional honey butter, and enjoy warm.

More details here, please note, if using for biscuits and gravy only use the little big of honey in the biscuit. Do not use additional honey:

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits - Sally's Baking Addiction

Why on earth is aluminium baking powder!

 

[Subduction Zone]

Why on earth is aluminium baking powder!

I missed that. I have never checked my baking powder to see what its chemical composition is. I do not even know if aluminum poses any problems if used in baking powder.

EDIT: Sodium aluminum sulfate in mine. Perhaps in yours.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Okay, most baking powder will have aluminum in it. It is far safer than that aluminium that you use and Google does not like the spelling of

Baking powder is different than baking soda. Baking soda reacts as soon as water hits it. So one has to mix things up and get it quickly into the oven. Baking powder often is "double acting" It releases some CO2 when it gets wet and more when it gets hot. This makes it more reliable for cooking, but the agent for most that does that is sodium aluminum sulfate.

The Mysteries of Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

The problem is some foods, such as biscuits, are so simple that one can really taste the aluminum. With cookies and cakes there are much stronger flavors that cover it up.

 

[Jainarayan]

There is very little I dislike, although sweets and I don't mix. Neither does booze although I had my first taste of booze in about 3 years about an hour ago. Son in law is into making mead so I tried about a half an ounce.

I say I didn’t get to 245 lbs by being a picky eater (I’m 210 now). I like good quality sweets, but I’m also not one for booze. A very occasional beer, and an occasional mead. Funny you mention that. I want to try making it.

 

[John53]

Okay, most baking powder will have aluminum in it. It is far safer than that aluminium that you use and Google does not like the spelling of

Baking powder is different than baking soda. Baking soda reacts as soon as water hits it. So one has to mix things up and get it quickly into the oven. Baking powder often is "double acting" It releases some CO2 when it gets wet and more when it gets hot. This makes it more reliable for cooking, but the agent for most that does that is sodium aluminum sulfate.

The Mysteries of Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

The problem is some foods, such as biscuits, are so simple that one can really taste the aluminum. With cookies and cakes there are much stronger flavors that cover it up.

My baking powder contains rice flour, sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium bicarbonate.

No beer cans in it but pyrophosphate sounds like fertiliser.

 

[crossfire]

I missed that. I have never checked my baking powder to see what its chemical composition is. I do not even know if aluminum poses any problems if used in baking powder.

EDIT: Sodium aluminum sulfate in mine. Perhaps in yours.

Okay, most baking powder will have aluminum in it. It is far safer than that aluminium that you use and Google does not like the spelling of

Baking powder is different than baking soda. Baking soda reacts as soon as water hits it. So one has to mix things up and get it quickly into the oven. Baking powder often is "double acting" It releases some CO2 when it gets wet and more when it gets hot. This makes it more reliable for cooking, but the agent for most that does that is sodium aluminum sulfate.

The Mysteries of Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

The problem is some foods, such as biscuits, are so simple that one can really taste the aluminum. With cookies and cakes there are much stronger flavors that cover it up.

I haven't checked the ingredients in my baking powder until now. I recently bought two different brands of baking powder (prolly because I forgot I bought it on a trip to one store and bought some more at my stop at Trader Joe's on the way home.)

I have found that I have used up the Trader Joe's baking powder and have hardly touched the Clabber Girl brand. I just seemed to like the Trader Joe's brand better.
Reading the ingredients: Clabber Girl

• Corn starch
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Sodium Aluminum Sulfate
• Monocalcium Phosphate

Trader Joe's Brand:

• Monocalcium Phosphate
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Corn Starch

I'm almost out of the Trader Joe's brand. Thanks for nudging me to read the ingredients. I'll have to put it back on my shopping list.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I haven't checked the ingredients in my baking powder until now. I recently bought two different brands of baking powder (prolly because I forgot I bought it on a trip to one store and bought some more at my stop at Trader Joe's on the way home.)

I have found that I have used up the Trader Joe's baking powder and have hardly touched the Clabber Girl brand. I just seemed to like the Trader Joe's brand better.
Reading the ingredients: Clabber Girl

• Corn starch
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Sodium Aluminum Sulfate
• Monocalcium Phosphate

Trader Joe's Brand:

• Monocalcium Phosphate
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Corn Starch

I'm almost out of the Trader Joe's brand. Thanks for nudging me to read the ingredients. I'll have to put it back on my shopping list.

I have Clabber Girl too. And it is nice to know of a local brand that is without aluminum. I do not bake very often. I cheat when it comes to biscuits. I buy Pillsbury or some other brand where the dough is already in a can.

 

[Subduction Zone]

My baking powder contains rice flour, sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium bicarbonate.

No beer cans in it but pyrophosphate sounds like fertiliser.

Or explosive

But as one infamous American knew, if you add diesel fuel to some fertilizers you get an explosive.

 

[We Never Know]

Okay, most baking powder will have aluminum in it. It is far safer than that aluminium that you use and Google does not like the spelling of

Baking powder is different than baking soda. Baking soda reacts as soon as water hits it. So one has to mix things up and get it quickly into the oven. Baking powder often is "double acting" It releases some CO2 when it gets wet and more when it gets hot. This makes it more reliable for cooking, but the agent for most that does that is sodium aluminum sulfate.

The Mysteries of Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

The problem is some foods, such as biscuits, are so simple that one can really taste the aluminum. With cookies and cakes there are much stronger flavors that cover it up.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: What’s the Difference?

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which requires an acid and a liquid to become activated and help baked goods rise. Conversely, baking powder includes sodium bicarbonate, as well as an acid. It only needs a liquid to become activated.

 

[crossfire]

Or explosive

But as one infamous American knew, if you add diesel fuel to some fertilizers you get an explosive.

Monocalcium phosphate is also used as a fertilizer. Of course, you get lots of little micro-explosions in your batter or dough to get it to rise.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I have Clabber Girl too. And it is nice to know of a local brand that is without aluminum. I do not bake very often. I cheat when it comes to biscuits. I buy Pillsbury or some other brand where the dough is already in a can.

I don't often make cookies, but I make a pretty mean brownie, if I do say so myself.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I don't often make cookies, but I make a pretty mean brownie, if I do say so myself.

I just buy the box mixes. But then I do not eat them. My housemate does. I might get one out of a pan.

So is homemade much better? I know it usually is in other areas, so I see no reason that a homemade recipe would not be superior..

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I just buy the box mixes. But then I do not eat them. My housemate does. I might get one out of a pan.

So is homemade much better? I know it usually is in other areas, so I see no reason that a homemade recipe would not be superior..

My brownies are killer, but I might be biased. Much like Mac and cheese, store-bought is generally going to be using cheaper ingredients, etc. I use 3 or 4 different cheeses in my Mac and cheese, and really good quality dark beer in my brownies. I know that sounds strange but it works!!

Still, there are local cafes and restaurants with amazing brownies or Mac and cheese, so it's not like you can't buy really good prepared food.

 

[Subduction Zone]

My brownies are killer, but I might be biased. Much like Mac and cheese, store-bought is generally going to be using cheaper ingredients, etc. I use 3 or 4 different cheeses in my Mac and cheese, and really good quality dark beer in my brownies. I know that sounds strange but it works!!

Still, there are local cafes and restaurants with amazing brownies or Mac and cheese, so it's not like you can't buy really good prepared food.

If you buy really good cheese anyone can make a top notch mac and cheese. And I believe you about your brownies. I had a serious sweet tooth in my youth but not so much any longer.