The Worland Family in America and Beyond

I began my life in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, on an island filled with forests and wild rhododendrons. I was separated from my Worland family there at an early age. Recently, I was reunited with my family and learned of my heritage. And so, this journey to know my ancestors began. The Worlands, Gideons, Newtons, Conards... they were the colonists, the settlers, the pioneers. They fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War. This is their story, and the story of a nation. -Deci Worland MacKinnon

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Biscuits

I have always loved biscuits, and I believe it may be a genetic trait. My present method is simple:
3 cups Bisquik
1 cup milk
Mix until soft dough forms. Knead eight turns. Roll out about 3/4" think, cut with a biscuit cutter and bake ten minutes at 450 degrees.

My great grandmother Estella Lucinda Randall (Johnson) probably had to put a bit more work into it. I ran into a description in an old book recounting memories of pioneer women from Iowa about 1890:
Flour was always kept in a large tin with a tight-fitting lid, large enough to accomodate the mixing pan. Biscuits were usually made in a blue or gray granite washpan, never used for anything but making biscuits.
Put 3 pints flour in mixing pan. Make a "well" in the center. Add 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well.
Mix in a scoop of lard about the size of a pullet's egg.
Make another "well" and add 1 cup sweet milk. Mix well until soft dough is formed.
Roll enough dough in your hand for a biscuit. Pat flat, and bake in a quick oven or on a greased pan until firm and brown. May also be fried in hot grease.
If baking powder is unavailable, mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1 pint sour milk for the liquid and leavening.

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