COLUMN: A new take on the biscuit
Biscuits are a baker’s best friend. They’re just as delicious as warm rolls out of the oven, but you don’t have to start them hours in advance so they have time to rise. You can whip them up with little notice and know that they’ll be a hit. This version is my favorite because the sweet potato makes them extra moist (and a little healthier) and the cornmeal gives them a perfect, subtle crunch. I recommend cooking and mashing the sweet potato in advance and storing it ready-to-go in your fridge. Serve them with a whipped cinnamon butter for an option on the sweet side.
SWEET POTATO CORNMEAL BISCUITS WITH TOASTED PECANS
1/2 cup pecans
1 2/3 cups flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), cooked and mashed to equal 1 cup
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup maple syrup
Before you make the biscuits, prepare the sweet potato. You can bake it, microwave it or boil it. If baking or microwaving, leave the peel on and poke the potato all over with a fork or knife to create small holes that will let steam out. To bake it, place it on a pan lined with tin foil and put it in the oven at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until soft all the way through. Poke it with a knife to check to make sure. If microwaving the potato, put it on a plate and cook for about 4-7 minutes, until soft. Be sure to check it often to avoid overcooking. If you decide to boil it, peel it and chop it into one-inch pieces. Boil it for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain well.
Once you have cooked the sweet potato and allowed it to cool, remove the skin (it will come off easily after it’s been baked) and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Use a potato masher to get it smooth, then measure out 1 cup of the mashed potato to use for the biscuits. If there is extra, you can keep it in your freezer until you want to use it.
To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until barely starting to brown, about 5-10 minutes. A good way to know when they’re toasted is by how fragrant they are — when you can really smell them they’re done.
Remove the pecans from the pan and allow them to cool completely.
In a food processor pulse the pecans until finely ground. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender to chop the nuts and then make the dough in a regular mixing bowl.)
Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.
Add the pieces of butter and pulse until a coarse, crumbly meal forms.
Add the sweet potato, buttermilk and maple syrup and pulse until the dough forms.
Sprinkle a clean counter top with flour and dump the dough onto it. The dough will be pretty sticky at this point. Add just enough flour during this step to make it easy to work with. If you add too much the biscuits won’t be as moist.
Use your hands to form a rectangle about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
Use a floured rolling pin to smooth out the dough and create an even thickness.
Cut the biscuits using whatever method you’d like. (I used a medium-sized round biscuit cutter and got 16 biscuits. You can also just cut the rectangle into squares.)
Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 14-18 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked all the way through.
– jenn.wilson@aggiemail.usu.edu