EGG-FREE BUTTERMILK CHEESE BISCUITS , easy, make ahead

Life-saving recipe for busy cooks....

Rich with cheese & chives, well-risen & crusty: egg-free buttermilk scones 

Buttermilk is one of those great baking ingredients that helps flour products - especially soda bread and scones - rise beautifully.  

Traditional buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream - giving the flavour of cream but not the fat - perfect for salad dressings and baking.  Nowadays most buttermilk is cultured. 

67 uses it mostly in soda breads and fluffy American pancakes.  But this recipe for cheese biscuits is a delight.  

For some recipes, 67 prefers 'proper' buttermilk from the store rather than the usual yoghurt-water or milk & vinegar substitutes.  But plans for supermarket buttermilk often come a cropper.  And then you're faced with a container of buttermilk that needs to be used today - and preferably yesterday.   

Looking for ideas for buttermilk on the net, 67 learned that:

• buttermilk (like milk) can be frozen
• buttermilk biscuit/scone dough can (like some cookie doughs) be frozen raw
• buttermilk in scones means melted butter can be used; the sometimes slightly irritating step of rubbing cold butter cubes into flour can be avoided 

It also stumbled on a simple recipe for buttermilk scones which also happened to be egg free.  This recipe, adapted from the cafe sucre farine is - as the label says - ridiculously easy.  

And really, really tasty with the perfect ratio of cheese and chives.

Cost: £3.00 (less for cheese-free scones)

Makes: 10 med rounds; 6-8 rectangles

Ingredients

240ml buttermilk

130g/4.6oz butter

250gm/8.75oz flour, plus extra for shaping

1 tbsp sugar (opt: 67 didn't bother)

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup grated cheddar

4-6 tbsp chives (67 used 4 and a bit)

Method:

67GOINGON50 SIMPLE TOMATO BASE FOR PIZZA: easy-peasy, make-ahead

      (photo to come)

Instead of tomato sauce on pizza bases, 67 uses a simple but rich (and yummy) tomato spread made of tomato paste, oil & herbs.  67 prefers M&S' jars of Smoky Tomato Paste OR salt-free tomato paste (Suma), blended with olive oil and basil.  

It's a doddle to knock up though you need to start at least an hour before needed.  It keeps well in the fridge.

67 loves it 'cause it's so simple yet so delicious.  But if you prefer the classic pizza sauce made with fresh or tinned tomatoes, feel free. 

Start at least one hour before needed. 

67 TOMATO BASE FOR PIZZA

100gm/3.5oz salt-free tomato paste (67 uses  Suma*, which comes in a handy tube) OR

M&S smoky Tomato Paste 

(Either with a with a generous pinch of Ancho Chillis for a spot of fruity heat)

2 springs fresh Basil or 1/8 tsp dried (or other Italian herbs, eg oregano)

1/3 tsp salt (if using Suma)

2 tbsp olive oil

Stir to amalgamate; rest one hour at room temperature before use.  Leftovers should be refrigerated in a small jar with tight fitting lid.

Spread neither stingily nor over generously over the base of the pizza before adding toppings.

                                           

                                                                                     * from Pomona at Belsize Park

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This recipe has been developed by  B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.