It is with great apprehension, which I have chosen to go to the beach this year, with a group of friends I have never travelled with for an extended period of time. Don’t misunderstand my feelings towards this eclectic group; I adore each and every one of them. I simply have some anxiety about going to a beach without my brother for the first time since his death. You see, the beach was our thing. B.O.B. Bob, my brother Matt, and I spent many days through the past ten years or so, driving out to the beach at Cape Hatteras, beer bottles clanking against one another, windows rolled down to catch the sea breezes, and our skin shining from an over abundance of sunscreen application.
Our beach of choice was always Avon, which was closest to Cape Hatteras, with its ever-changing beach and superb fishing. It also just so happens to be a beach where driving is a must. I believe people that walk to a beach are insane and not to be trusted. Who would actually choose to lug all of the things that a day at the beach requires over hot as hell dunes by choice? This year, we’ll be spending our beach week in Corolla, or what I refer to as the fancy beach. We have been assured that there is still a beach nearby where driving on the beach is allowed. Thank goodness, cause neither B.O.B. Bob, nor I are the cooler full of beer dragged achingly through “burning hell fires of sand” sort of people. I’m hoping the differences in this year’s trip will help me to remember the great times I was lucky enough to share with my brother in the past, and that I won’t spend too much time blubbering over the loss of future memories with him.
Ingredients:
- 6 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 12 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Divided
- 3 Cups Whole Milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a very large bowl.
- Cut 1-cup of the cold butter into very small pieces, and then add to the flour mixture.
- Cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry cutter or fork for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and fold it over onto itself a couple of times.
- Gently pat the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness, in a large rectangular shape
- Cut the biscuits into 2-inch squares using a sharp knife dipped in flour.
- Place the biscuits onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Melt the 1/2-cup of leftover butter, and use a pastry brush to brush each biscuit liberally with it.
Suggestions:
- Place the biscuits about 1/4-inch away from one another on the baking sheet.
- As soon as you take the biscuits out of the oven, cut any that have baked together apart with a sharp knife and move them away form each other. This is so that the butter will pool down the sides of the biscuit when you brush them with it. You want the butter to get all up in that biscuit. It’s a good thing.
- This recipe will yield approximately 20 biscuits.
Improvements:
- Replace the milk with buttermilk.
- Add fresh herbs, cheese, or garlic powder to the dough.
Ingredients:
- 6 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 12 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Unsalted Butter, Divided
- 3 Cups Whole Milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a very large bowl.
- Cut 1-cup of the cold butter into very small pieces, and then add to the flour mixture.
- Cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry cutter or fork for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and fold it over onto itself a couple of times.
- Gently pat the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness, in a large rectangular shape
- Cut the biscuits into 2-inch squares using a sharp knife dipped in flour.
- Place the biscuits onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Melt the 1/2-cup of leftover butter, and use a pastry brush to brush each biscuit liberally with it.
