American readers will already know this, so this post is really for those of us not residing in the USA. America leads the world at breakfasting, really, and here's for why...
It's not just a legend, there really are special breakfast beers brewed in Germany, a wonderful idea, shows real imagination, but no. It's not quite what I'm looking for.
A croissant, even a chocolate stuffed croissant or pan au chocolat, washed down with a bowl of hot chocolate is good. But not good enough.
The 'full English' while a fine thing in itself could do with a few additions. Those additions hail from the US. The American take on the pancake, all risen and fluffy is a wonderful thing too, and may well become the subject of a future blog, but this post and this weekends breakfasts are dedicated to the majesty of the Biscuit.
By biscuit I don't mean the English word for cookies, I mean the half way house between bread and scones that ANYONE can make in TEN MINUETS. Transforming themselves at a stroke from kitchen lummox to culinary hero in less time than it took me to write this post. TRUE.
I've eaten biscuit with American family's and in dinners loads of times but it never occurred to me just how easy they are to make.Until I read A Proper Breakfast by GWH (the Great White Hunter). His recipe cannot over state just how easy they are to make!
Shortening isn't that easy to come by in the UK so I use vegetable suet which all the big supermarkets sell. You'll find it in the baking section it looks like this
The only things I would add are;
Don't make them too thin. At first I was nervous of making them too doughy and rolled them a little thinner than the recommended three quarters of an inch, as soon a I started to roll them out a little thicker I got a perfect biscuits.
A sponge tin (round and not very deep) is perfect for making one large biscuit which you can serve slices of.
This weekend you're a hero, even if it's only until the end of the meal!
Thanks for reading
SBW
PS This summer while camping out, at the music festivals or later in the year at deer camp, this recipe makes a good alternative to banock -you can mix and bag the dry ingredients and take them with you. While the others are lamenting the state of the squished, soggy loaf they brought with them, you can bake your biscuit in a Dutch oven over the fire. How bushwacker will you look then!
I love biscuits. They're great with gravy on them. Not that, given my new healthier diet, I eat biscuits and gravy any more. I can still remember them though.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes - the biscuit. I'm hungry just thinking of it. So versatile, too...eat it as is, or put butter and honey on it, or pour a bunch of gravy over it...seriously, I'm getting very hungry over here.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the mention. I'll be thinking of you this Independence Day as I cook breakfast for the family. It always amazes me how close the British and the Americans really are. After more than two centuries, we are really still two related peoples separated only by a common language :-)
ReplyDeleteGWH
ReplyDeleteThe other difference is the size of our eggs! No it's not a euphemism! It's an oft quoted truism that in the US everything is bigger. As with all generalisations there is a counter example, and this time its eggs, you guy have such little eggs. They look better on the plate but it can make the direct translation of recipe books a little - well eggy!
Cheers
SBW
SBW, sounds like you're ready to step up to rural America's highest biscuit achievement: the Biscuit & Gravy Breakfast. Yessiree Bob! A couple hot-out-of-the-oven biscuits smothered in sausage gravy with a couple eggs and hashbrowns on the side. That'll give you the bone-sticking energy you need for a day of hunting elk!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you should say that, because RGN (Republican Gun nut Neighbour - meet him in a post called our first hunt) was forever singing their praises to me. The Northern Monkey and I tried them in a diner (probably 'the' diner) in Lusk Wyoming - and boy did they suck! In defence of the diner everything else I ate there on both my visits was excellent. If you're passing I particularly recommend the corned beef hash.
ReplyDeleteSBW