Mrs. Alaska's Recipes: Biscuits and Flour Tortillas.

Recipe of the Week: Mrs. Alaska’s Biscuits and Flour Tortillas

The following recipes were kindly sent by SurvivalBlog reader Mrs. Alaska:

Biscuits and Flour Tortillas with bear fat (or bacon grease, pork lard or butter)

Around the world, virtually every region makes its own delicious version of a flat or risen bread (called a quick bread) that requires NO yeast. Consider Indian dosas, rotis, chapatis, and naan, Vietnamese scallion pancakes, British and American biscuits and scones, French crepes, and Latin American tortillas. The flat breads have the advantage that they can be cooked WITHOUT an oven, on a woodstove, griddle, grill or even on a porous utensil over an open flame. Maybe prudent preppers and campers master a few of their favorite flat breads or quick breads for nearly spontaneous tasty treats.

Notice how similar the ingredients are between the two following recipes. Even if you have never made a fluffy biscuit, you can make a light tortilla.

In advance, I assemble bags of the dry ingredients for speedy biscuits.

Tortillas are even easier: I assemble bags of the formed balls, store 8 at a time in the freezer or fridge, and take out the night before for fresh tortillas in 2 minutes. Yum.

Flour Tortillas

Cook on a dry griddle, over high heat. 30-60 seconds on each side.

Ingredients

2 ½ c flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ c fat (butter, bacon grease, bear or pork lard, etc). I do not recommend liquid vegetable oil, but perhaps others have had more favorable experiences. To me, the ingredient made the final product gummy.
7/8 – 1 c HOT liquid (can be milk, broth, or water)

Technique:

Form into a ball, folding several times (no need to knead).

Let the dough rest in a plastic bag or covered container for 30 minutes or more.

Form into individual balls. This recipe makes 8 balls about the size of golf balls.

Let the balls rest in the bag or bowl.

Freeze, refrigerate, or use right away. Cook the dough when it is room temperature.

To cook:

Heat the griddle on high. Add NO OIL.

Roll a ball out as thinly as you can. You can cut it round, but who cares if it is in the shape of Australia or Antarctica? It still tastes great.

Slap the tortilla onto the hot griddle.

I position mine on a griddle right over each gas flame.

Flip when you see air bubbles forming on top and brown beneath – just like a pancake. Obviously, the thinner the tortilla, the shorter the cooking time.

NOTE 1: In my experience, butter makes the flakiest tortillas. Bear grease is a very neutral flavor and bacon grease contributes a stronger flavor. Similarly the liquid choice of water or broth. Each is good for different planned uses.

Tortillas are best eaten right away, but can be saved.

Biscuits

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes

Note: I place parchment paper on my cookie sheet.

Ingredients

2 c white flour
1 tsp salt (I use less)
4 tsp baking powder

Combine well.

Cut in 4 TBS of cold fat (butter, bacon grease, bear lard, etc)

(Cut in means that you cut the fat into little pieces and then distribute them through the flour with utensils to make those bits smaller still, about the sizes of peas).

Pour in (but not all at once, as you may need less: ¾ c milk

PLUS 1 tsp white vinegar (this will help the biscuits rise more).

Mix lightly.

Technique:

Stir batter, knead ½ minute into a dough, pat or roll about ½ -3/4 inch thick.

Let it rest a few minutes.

Cut into pieces. I cut this recipe into 6 triangles, like a pizza or scone. Who says that biscuits have to be round? That requires another tool and another step of recombining the cut-off dough. No thanks.