Biscuits - (Scratch from the Smoky Mountains of NC)

Utensils Required:

• Non Stick Cookie Sheet (thinner or thicker sheets may result in some differences in the final results)

• Mixing Bowl

• Measuring cups - 1c, 1/2c

• Fork

• Non-tapered drinking glass

• Wax paper

Ingredients Required:

• 2 1/2 cups of Self Rising Flour

• 1/4 cup of Crisco (all vegetable, not liquid)

• ~1/2 cup of Buttermilk

• Mix in Buttermilk and milk until you get the consistency you want, but don't let it liquify

How to Make it:

1. Pre-heat oven to 420 degrees.

2. Mix in the flour and 'cut' in the (solid Crisco) with a folk until they're mixed fairly well. Do this by hand with a fork.

3. Add buttermilk and regular and continue to mix with a fork or by hand until the consistency is a bit 'gluey'. You DON'T want the mixture to be liquified.

4. Layout wax paper and spread some additional flour on the wax paper to keep the flour mixture from sticking.

5. Roll out the mixture on the wax paper and flatten the mixture until you own personal thickness. ~1/2 inch is a good estimate. Experimentation is needed to find the preferred thickness.

6. Flatten the dough by rolling it out with a glass - a flat and even glass, not a pint glass with a taper at the bottom. Rolling pins are not recommended, but that can also be personal choice

7. Use the glass to cut out round disks of dough. DON'T twist the glass while cutting out the disks as that tends to make the biscuits tougher. Just push down. 

8. Put the uncooked biscuit disks on an ungreased cookie sheet pan. Spreading a little bit of butter on top of each biscuit is optional.

9. Cook biscuits in the oven until golden brown. Estimated time is about 12 minutes. Different ovens and type of cookie sheet play a factor in determining the best time to let them cook.

Finally, when they're done, I STRONGLY recommend slicing a good sized tomato and putting one or two slices in the biscuit with a little salt and pepper. Biscuits and tomatoes are one of the best things ever. Some prefer butter and jams or even topping with cream-corn.

Story:

My dad's family is from the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, and to this day, I've never met better cooks than my MaMaw, Esther Greene Sutton, and my Aunt Mary Parris. There was just something special about the way they cooked—simple ingredients, generations of experience, and the atmosphere of the Smoky Mountains that somehow made everything taste even better.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy my MaMaw's home cooking many times before she passed away when I was in sixth grade. Her scratch biscuits remain the standard by which I've judged every biscuit since. She taught her daughter, my Aunt Mary, the family recipe and technique, and Aunt Mary has carried on that tradition beautifully. In my opinion, the only person who ever made a better biscuit than Aunt Mary was MaMaw herself.

One thing our family always noticed was that these biscuits somehow turned out even better in the North Carolina mountains than they did back home in Virginia, even when using the exact same recipe. Maybe it was the elevation, maybe the mountain air, or maybe just the memories attached to that place. Whatever the reason, if you ever get the chance to make these in the Smokies, I highly recommend it.

The recipe itself couldn't be much simpler: self-rising flour, Crisco, and buttermilk. The secret isn't in fancy ingredients—it's in technique. Folding the dough creates those beautiful flaky layers, and resisting the urge to overwork it is probably the hardest part of the whole process. If the dough looks a little rough and imperfect, you're probably on the right track. Some of the best biscuits I've ever eaten looked like they were assembled by committee and approved by nobody.

The reward is a biscuit that's tall, flaky, and sturdy enough to hold a generous helping of sausage gravy, yet soft enough to melt away with nothing more than butter and honey.

No matter how many biscuits I've had over the years, nothing has ever topped MaMaw's. She never measured anything, just mixed the ingredients by hand, added a little love, and somehow created the best biscuits I've ever tasted. Aunt Mary has come remarkably close, and I'm grateful to both of them for passing this family tradition down.

The best way to enjoy one? Split it open while it's still warm and add butter and honey, or keep it simple with a slice or two of fresh tomato sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. Pair it with fresh corn on the cob, and you've got a meal that tastes like summer in the Smoky Mountains.

Thank you, Aunt Mary Parris and MaMaw (Esther Greene Sutton), for sharing a recipe—and a tradition—that has become one of my favorite family memories.