Comfort food soothes– hence the name. For the last week I have been glued to the television set, waiting for one talking head to convince me, to quell my nerves, to, for lack of a better word, soothe me. When I realized that the news could never do this for me, there was only one thing left to do. Go to the kitchen. I flipped through cookbooks, opened cabinets, sifted through drawers full of gadgets, and finally arrived at quick and delicious recipe I had yet to try in this book.

I do not come from the South, so biscuits for me usually came out of a cardboard tube. And as much as that pop, followed by a sigh, that came from opening up the container thrilled me, I realize now, after making the real thing, just how much I was missing out upon. These biscuits mixed up in no time, could be made with ingredients that were already in my pantry, and once baked, were light as marshmallows.

There is something so comforting about kneading a bit of dough, warming the kitchen from the heat of a gas stove, and waiting for a finished product to be complete. Steaming hot from the oven, slathered with sweet butter, and a bit of honey these biscuits did just the trick. Who knew that all I needed were some carbohydrates in the form of bread products to ready me for the deluge of news programs to come?

Last night, I sat down in front the television, nervously tapping my foot for hours on end, and watching my husband on the other end of the sofa chew his nails to the quick. And as the hours ticked by, the biscuits that were once eaten in solace, now became celebratory. I began to think about how these biscuits were also the perfect medium for shortcake, or spooned and baked on a winter cobbler. It’s funny how a good recipe, and a bit of excellent news can do that for a person.

Grandmother’s Southern Biscuits
from The New Complete Book of Breads

This recipe came with a long list of do’s and don’ts by Southern cooks for making heavenly biscuits. The one prescriptive I found to be the most most helpful is the handle and knead the dough as little as possible. By kneading only 5-10 times quickly, the glutens do not fully develop, leaving you with a lighter final product.

makes approximately 12 biscuits

2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup shortening (I used the trans-fat free Crisco)
1 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a mixing bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with your hands or a pastry blender, until a lumpy, coarse meal is obtained. Pour in all of the milk at once. Stir with a fork, or a wooden spoon until mixture just comes together. The dough should be wet, but still retaining shape. Add more milk if the dough is a bit dry.

Gather the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll, or push out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch rounds, knead any scraps gently together, and cut again. Place biscuits on a greased or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake close together for soft-sided biscuits, 1 inch apart for crusty sides.

Bake on the middle shelf of the hot oven for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy immediately.