Many families have special recipes passed on from generation to generation – mainstays of family get-togethers, favourite dishes that bring back treasured memories.
With winter just around the corner, I find myself fondly remembering my grandma’s baking powder biscuits – light, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! She didn’t have a ‘written’ recipe. With 7 children and 21 grandchildren, the biscuits were made countless times, the ingredients assembled from memory with ease.
In my mind’s eye, I can see her standing at her old wooden kitchen table, apron around her waist, large enamel bowl in front of her, carefully working the dough with her strong hands until it felt ‘just right’. She would lightly dust flour onto the red-checkered oilcloth which covered the table, roll out the dough to the perfect thickness with her thin wooden dowel, turn over a glass to deftly cut circles, place them on a baking sheet and into her wood stove to bake to perfection. Grandma had an electric range but favoured the wood stove. She knew and trusted this method and preferred the way her biscuits, pies and bread turned out and tasted when baked the ‘old-fashioned’ way.
Her biscuits, fresh from the oven, warm steam escaping as you broke them apart with that wonderful aroma wafting through the air, couldn’t be beat. They always disappeared quickly, delicious with a dab of butter but equally as good on their own. Grandma must have made endless amounts, as we were never limited as to how many we could have. They were great with a meal, soup or stew but also made a heavenly dessert when topped with her homemade raspberry jam.
We believe we have a close facsimile of her recipe, but I don’t think my biscuits will ever taste as good as hers. Because she didn’t measure as we do, it might not be exactly the same. Perhaps baking them in a wood stove would make the difference. But maybe she just added a touch more love to hers.
Eat Well…Sandi
Recipe: Cheddar Baking Powder Biscuits
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