Let me paint you a scenario.

You are out to breakfast, you sit down among the bustling morning crowd, coffee wafts around you and the morning feels light.

You sit down at your table and read the menu.

Classics. From the Griddle. Benedicts. On the Lighter Side.

Eggs look good. But so does the french toast. Salty, peppery home fries sound oh so satisfying. But then you read about the Belgian waffles with berry compote.

Savory or sweet? Sweet or Savory?

What will you do?

I hope you are blessed with going to breakfast with someone who will order the opposite of your choice. Someone who will let you splitsies so you might get to have a taste of both sweet and savory.

But what if you aren’t so lucky? Then may I suggest an idea.

Biscuits.

 

Biscuits are the Swiss Army knife of quick breads. They are perfect on their own, warm and slathered with butter, or smothered with gravy next to some over easy eggs. Feeling sweet? Then break out the honey and the jam.

But wait, add cornmeal to them and it is a whole new ball game. The cornmeal adds great texture and the most inviting golden warm color.

Now let me suggest that you don’t go out to breakfast at all. But keep your sweats on and make your own batch of biscuits. You can have them in and out of the oven within 20 minutes and then dress them up in anyway you can imagine.

 

You need one technique for biscuits and only one. Gentleness. Think of the dough like a new born baby you are trying to rock to sleep. The dough won’t be a uniform ball but a shaggy mess that you should only just pat, pat, pat into a circle. Be strong enough to shape it but light and kind with your touch. And once the dough is shaped let it be! Don’t wake that sleeping baby no matter how much you want to.

If you don’t have a 2-inch round cutter on hand grab a water glass from your cupboard. It will cut them just as easily- you just won’t have as many as they will be a larger diameter!

Happy weekend breakfasting !

 

Cornmeal Biscuits 

Makes 8 two inch biscuits– less if using a glass to cut them

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for patting out dough

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add chilled butter pieces and cut into the flour using your hands or pastry cutter until butter is pea sized.
4. Drizzle the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough begins to form. The dough will be shaggy and may have a little loose flour.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently need 3-4 times.
6. Pat the dough into a circle 1-inch thick.
7. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out 8 rounds and place them on the baking sheet.
8. Brush the tops with buttermilk.
9. Bake until golden and risen, around 12 minutes. Serve warm with butter.