I’m not originally from the south, but I’ve grown to love southern food. And that includes biscuits–especially biscuits! I love them hot from the oven with some butter or topped with sausage gravy…mmm! So of course I was excited about reviewing the new cookbook
Biscuits: Sweet and Savory Southern Recipes for the All-American Kitchen by Jackie Garvin. This book starts off with a little biscuit history and then goes on to share tips and recipes for making all kinds of biscuits…rolled, patted, layered, or cut. Traditional favorites like Buttermilk Biscuits, Baking Powder Biscuits, Cornmeal Biscuits, Angle Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and more. There’s a recipe for Gluten-Free Biscuits, too. As you look through the book, you’ll also find some wonderful creative recipes to make with biscuit dough–delicious-looking recipes like Raspberry Biscuit Pudding, Biscuit Donuts, Loaded Baked Potato Biscuits, and Skillet Toasted Biscuits. There’s also a section on Biscuit Toppings which includes recipes for Sausage Gravy, Bacon Tomato Gravy, Chocolate Gravy, and Country Ham and Redeye Gravy. Biscuit-related dishes and desserts for every meal are in this book too-Chicken and Dumplings, Hamburger Pot Pie, Double-Decker Strawberry Shortcake, Blackberry Cobbler, and Peach Raspberry Scones, to name a few. I decided to try the Rosemary Focaccia Biscuit Bread because, in addition to biscuits, I also love focaccia–so what could be better than a combination of both? And it looked like a simple, easy recipe anyone could make. If you’re not familiar with focaccia, it’s an Italian bread often served with olive oil for dipping. This recipe is a delicious, savory version of a biscuit in focaccia form–the fresh minced rosemary flavors it nicely with a subtle hint of garlic from the garlic powder. You will need some parchment paper for lining your pan when you make this. You’ll also notice that the recipe calls for soft winter wheat self-rising flour. Soft winter wheat is a variety of wheat that has a low protein and gluten content, often used in biscuit-making. The White Lily brand is a soft wheat flour and King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour is a soft wheat flour, too. If you can’t find soft winter wheat flour, just substitute regular self-rising flour.
ROSEMARY FOCACCIA BISCUIT BREAD from Biscuits: Sweet and Savory Southern Recipes Makes four 4-inch squares in an 8 x 8″ pan
- 2 1/2 cups soft winter wheat self-rising flour (or substitute regular self-rising flour)
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 450˚F. Place flour in a large bowl. Stir in rosemary and garlic powder. Add milk and olive oil. Stir until dough is wet. Cover the inside of an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Sprinkle dough with olive oil and spread dough evenly over paper. Make indentations over the entire top surface of the dough with your knuckles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 450˚F preheated oven for 15 minutes or until top in brown and inside of bread is done. Remove and let cool on cooling rack.
This recipe is great for breakfast or brunch when you want to serve something a little different. It’s really good and I’m sure your savory-loving family and friends will love it! And it is super-easy to put together, so there’s no reason not to try it! Are you a biscuit-lover like me and what is your favorite kind of biscuit?
Linked to Full Plate Thursday, Let’s Get Real Friday, Inspire Me Monday.