The Weston A. Price Way

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Homemade, Long-Lasting, Better for You Biscuit Mix

 Who hasn't used Bisquick? One of my most 'famous' recipes uses it, and I have been wanting, for a long time, to re-create the mix using homemade biscuit mix with healthier, WAPF-Friendly ingredients. And so, at last, I have taken some time and done just that.

As always, it's flexible. As always, you don't have to do it 'my way'. But because my Eastern Shore-Style Sweet Potato Biscuits, (next post), turned out so well using this recipe, I will give it to you exactly my way, and let you know what can be done instead for those of you not on the Weston A. Price train...yet. ;)
This recipe makes a whopping bag full, so have a 1-2 Gallon freezer bag ready. Stored in the freezer, it will keep 8 months (at least!)

The recipe calls for 9 Cups of flour. Here's how I divided it up:

4 C. King Arthur Bread Flour, unbleached
2 & 1/2 C. Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Stone Ground Organic Pastry Flour
2 & 1/2 C. Freshly-milled (my mill) organic/chemical-free hard wheat flour
You may use any healthy combo of flours or a single flour, if you like. I do not suggest all Pastry Flour, as it is quite low in gluten and your biscuits could end up looking like flattened cookies. At the same time, I wouldn't suggest only Wheat flour, either, as they will turn out heavier than you will like. If the pastry flour scares you, use a combination of the bread flour and wheat flour instead.


1/4 C. Rumford Baking Powder (or you may use your own home-made baking powder.)

1 TBS. Celtic Sea Salt
1/3 C. Grassfed lard
1/3 C. Grassfed tallow
1/3 C. Butter
1 C. Coconut Oil in solid state
For the last 4 ingredients (fat), you may use any combination that totals 2 Cups. It is also ok to use any ONE of the fats alone.

Regarding coconut oil: It is liquid at room temp unless you keep a chilly room. Also, if it is unrefined, it will have a coconut taste-wonderful for me because I LOVE coconut taste, but I know many who prefer not to taste it at all. A slightly less-healthy, but still healthier than the other 'stuff' out there, is to buy it in a refined state. This way, no coconut taste. (BTW: I recently learned that for those of us having difficulty with fat accumulation, coconut oil is an excellent fat choice!)

I truly believe for this recipe, the hardest part is the accumulation of the ingredients...Here's what to do next:

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. You can use a whisk, but I just use my clean hands.
Cut in the fats with a fork, pastry blender, or clean hands until it all looks like coarse crumbs. 
Put it all in a freezer bag and freeze or refrigerate until ready to use. At the time of use, you may need to crush some clumps in the mix. This causes no problems.
Use for any recipe calling for Bisquick or other biscuit mix.

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