Bread: Foccacia

Our home-made foccacia bread receipe is the perfect combination of crusty parmesean and savory bread. We use freshly-sprinkeled herbs rounded out by a hint of onions and garlic. 

We bake it till it has a golden crispy crust, and yet the inside is oh so soft. 

Even though its italian in origin, it pairs well with so many different entrees. 

Other flavor combinations: roasted garlic + bleu cheese (great with a flank steak), kalamatta olives + thyme (great for greek inspired meals),  sauteed red onions + fresh rosemary (for traditional french cuisine), sun-dried tomato + asiago cheese (italian).

Soft Fluffy Biscuits

Whenever I go visit my mom's house I love to help her with dinner. She has been teaching cooking classes for a while now, so if I can get a "free" lesson in, then I'm all for it!

Last Sunday she made a Mexican-inspired dinner w/ Chicken tortilla soup. As a side she taught me how to make these delicious, flavorful jalepeno cheddar biscuits!

To start with, you add the dry ingredients in a bowl.
My mom has implored the importance of a kitchen scale. She uses one when she caters large events, and even uses it in everyday cooking. It really helps with consistent results. Using cups/teaspoons/TBSP will produce greatly different results-- based on how much air is in the flour, how tightly packed it is, whether it is filled to the top, etc, etc.

After the butter has been measured out, you add it to the flour. Mix it in so there are pea-sized balls of butter. It is important to NEVER over-mix the biscuit batter (and muffin batter). My mom explained the reason why you add the butter in w/ the flour right away is that it creates these little pockets of butter in each biscuit, and is quite tasty when its all baked. 

Next add in the buttermilk.

Mix it just enough until the dough is moistened.

it gets quite sticky! But that's what makes a great fluffy, moist biscuit.

Now you have your basic biscuit dough. Remember do not overmix!!!
You can add in your extras.
We had chives, cheddar/jack cheese, and dill.
You can also add in canned jalepeno bits (yumm!)
Or bacon.

Knead 4-5 times w/ flour, just until dough stays together in a ball.

Dough should be at least 1" thick.
Thicker is better for this biscuit dough.

Cut with a circle biscuit cutter.

Now cut out and put onto parchment paper.
Place the biscuits so they touch each other (my mom had to correct me after I took this photo). When they're touching, the friction from adjacent biscuits help rise up better.

Add melted butter before it goes into the oven. 

And add dill seasoning.

Cook in the oven until they're golden brown. Yumm! buttery, light, soft delicious biscuits!

Recipe Follows.

Courtesy Savory Event Catering

Incredibly Fluffy Biscuits

20 oz. All- purpose flour

20 oz. Cake flour (Soft As Silk)

0.2 oz Salt

1.7 oz. Sugar

1.8 oz. Baking powder

6 oz. Butter (salted)

32 oz. Buttermilk

optional mix-ins:

1-1/2 C. Bacon, cooked & chopped

2 C. Shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 C. Green onions, chopped

5 Oz. Jalapeno (canned)

For Red Lobster type biscuits, put the cheddar cheese in the recipe, then after you cut out and brush with butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and onion salt.

Bake at 415 (F) for 16 minutes or until golden brown. Butter again when they come out of the oven.