Biscuits & Gravy

Ok, so I know this isn't cake or even desert but I do enjoy baking biscuits.

This morning I was really craving a hearty breakfast. I am not a huge fan of sweet foods first thing in the morning, so biscuits and gravy sounded really yummy. I had a bag of self rising flour left from a few cupcake recipes. I haven't made biscuits using this type of flour before. So... I used the biscuit recipe on the back of the Gold Metal Self Rising Flour bag.

1) Heat oven to 450F. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 1/2 c. self rising flour, 2 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Cut in 1/2 c. shortening with a pastry blender until mixture looks like fine crumb. Stir in 1 c. buttermilk until dough leaves sides of the bowl and rounds up into a bowl. (Note: I was out of buttermilk, so I mixed in 1 Tbs. lemon juice with regular milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes before using).

2) Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 5 or 6 times or until smooth. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick . Cut with floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (I used a circle cookie cutter). On ungreased cookie sheet, place about 1 inch apart. 

3) Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

The gravy I made was a basic milk gravy. I melted 2 Tbs. of butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. I then whisked in 2 Tbs. of flour and cooked until a light brown and smooth (approx. 5 minutes). Next, I whisked in about 1 c. of milk until it was the consistency I wanted. I seasoned with salt and pepper, and it was ready to eat!