The first stop on my international bread adventure is the other coast, the South to be exact. For my first week of self guided learning I explored, experienced, and made Southern buttermilk biscuits. It would be simple to write about the stress I felt trying to follow receipt and make a biscuit my stepdad would not scoff at but that is not what I want to explore in this project. Instead I want to reflect on what surrounds the bread. Southern biscuits make me what want to say "y'all" and "ain't". I think of gravy and Paula Dean. Southern foods are tied to comfort and warmth in my mind. But are these ideas in my head founded on any "real" information about biscuits? I embarked on a baking and research journey to find out. The first place I turned was the Google search bar...of course. I found out that southern biscuits fall into the category of "quick breads".( I found nothing "quick" about the process). Its cousins include: scones, cornbread, and soda bread. Breads like these have a chemical leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder. American Southern biscuits popped up prior to the Civil War as a cheap bread because it did not use yeast, which was expensive at the time. These biscuits utilized the soft winter wheat of the South which is turned into Bleached all-purpose flour. This flour created a softer product that the hard spring wheat of the North. A fact, I am sure, the South enjoyed. When I embarked on my market excursion to get all the ingredients I was struct by two things. The first was that I go to this market several times a week and I struggled to find the unprepared ingredients (flour, baking soda, etc.) I needed. This brought to light the lack of "cooking" a majority of us do and how little food preparation I do. The market was filled with rows and rows of breads, crackers, cheese, and frozen meals. I had never pondered this idea because normally I enter the market tired and hungry. The second thing was that my first baking endeavor was expensive! I had the preconceived notion that it would be cheap because well..it was just a biscuit. It wasn't like I was buying a nice steak or caviar. I spent $21 on the items of needed for this "quick bread". I then realized it was because I had to buy every ingredient on my receipe because I never bake...so I guess I am to blame for that. While I was baking I kept thinking about ideas of family and family meals. The lifestyle of the 50's and expectations of women was prevalent in my mind. I even snapchatted a photo with the caption "getting domestic". These ideas of the perfect housewife is closely tied in my mind to the South. Huge meals with multiple components must be exhausted! I was overwhelmed with just the simple component of the bread! If I were to make these again I am confident the time and cost would decrease. I would not be stressed about following the receipt exactly and would most likely be able to throw these together to add to a breakfast of dinner. The biscuit to me was exactly what I had expected; comfortingly salty and dense like Southern Conservative Republican. I was left satisfied with my self and the brick of bread sitting in my stomach for the rest of the day.
4 Comments
Sarah
3/7/2016 08:50:03 am
So, how did it turn out? It look delicious! Now that you've gotten some staple ingredients hopefully it won't be so expensive every time?! Good work!
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3/7/2016 09:16:51 am
Morgan-
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3/7/2016 07:13:15 pm
This post was hilarious Morgan. I particularly liked your focus on the history of the biscuit. It made me laugh and left me totally informed. What did your stepdad think of your new domestic talents? Can't wait till next week!
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Sophia Monaco
3/9/2016 10:46:26 am
Your final product looked amazing! I also enjoyed reading your hilarious blog post! I feel like I know so much more about the biscuit than I had ever thought I would learn. Thanks for enlightening me!
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Morgan Conroyfuture artisan bread baker thanks 20time. Archives
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