March 22, 2008

Angel Biscuits


As a Southerner, I am constantly on the look out for biscuit recipe variations. One classic recipe that I have never tried making is the one with two leavening agents. Cream of tartar and baking soda are aided by yeast to give Angel or bride's biscuits their light and airy texture. This touch means that anyone, regardless of their baking skill level, can make a successful batch of Angel biscuits.

I recently read Jean Anderson's book, "A Love Affair with Southern Cooking: Recipes and Recollections." Filled with culinary stories and recipes, her book is a fascinating look at the foods Southerners love from black-eyed pea soup with greens and ham to Tennessee whiskey balls. Angel biscuits were originally made from a soft wheat flour like the ones from White Lily or Martha White.

My gluten free variation on the Angel Biscuits owes their light and sweet flavor to a sorghum flour blend and sorghum syrup. The delicate flavor was one of the reasons my family enjoyed these biscuits so much. They were delightful served warm with a swirl of butter or lightly toasted and served with a slice of applewood smoked ham.

Recipe

3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup sweet potato flour*
1/4 cup + 1 Tb sweet rice flour
2 tsp chia seed meal
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tb sorghum syrup**
1 cup soured almond milk or buttermilk***
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter, melted
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 deg F)


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 12 silicone muffin cups on a cookie sheet.

2. In a large bowl, dump in the flours, chia seed meal, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together until the cream of tartar and soda are thoroughly blended with the flours.

3. In a small bowl filled with the warm water, pour in the dry active yeast and allow to dissolve.

4. In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour in the soured almond milk, the vegetable shortening and sorghum syrup. Gently stir the mixture together.

5. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and quickly stir together. Then spoon the batter into the silicone muffin cups.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 biscuits.

* Sweet Potato Flour: I purchased my gluten free sweet potato flour from Barry Farms.

** Sorghum Syrup: I purchased my sorghum syrup from Barry Farms.

*** Soured Almond Milk: Add 1/2 tsp white vinegar to the 1/2 cup of almond milk and allow to sit for a few minutes before using.

8 comments:

Libby said...

That looks yummy! I would have guessed it was a corn muffin. Libby

Gluten Free In the Greens said...

Oh my gosh, my mom used to make angel biscuits for special occasion! I tried a recipe a few months ago but haven't really returned to it for trials...my biscuits never really get fluffy. What do you think the sweet potato flour adds? What's the texture like? What might be a good substitute? I'll definitely give this recipe a try!

Natalie, aka "Sheltie Girl" said...

Libby -- The biscuits do have the look of corn muffins. They were so fluffy that I wanted to keep the loft so I made them like muffins. They sure did taste wonderful.

Sheltie Girl

Natalie, aka "Sheltie Girl" said...

Gluten Free in the Greens -- Sweet potato flour is actually more like the starch from sweet potatoes. It has a powdery feel and a lightness like arrowroot or cornstarch. The flavor of the sorghum and sweet potato flour was very nice. If you would like to substitute another starch for the sweet potato you could use: potato flour, tapioca starch, arrowroot or corn starch. Any of them would work well.

Sheltie Girl

Carrie said...

YUM! I also tried making angel biscuits with my gluten free master mix not long ago, but they didn't come out quite right. I'll have to try these!! I use Barry Farms too. I like their services a lot!

Carrie said...

PS.. I didn't know you were a southern girl too! When I first started reading your blog I thought you were British! lol

Naomi Devlin said...

Boy those look fluffy...sigh

Just off to make some almond fairy cakes - Fin has that stricken look of a boy who has just realised there will be no birthday cake. Better make em good!

x x x

Natalie, aka "Sheltie Girl" said...

Carrie & Naomi - Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your words of support...they mean a lot.

Sheltie Girl