Better Than Bisquick

I was in the mood for Tomato Pie (yes, again!) and was mid-preparation when I realized I only had a wee bit of Bisquick left for the biscuit crust. I don't usually like using boxed mixes, but sometimes when you're in a pinch for time, that yellow box comes in handy. Unless it's nearly empty and you've already sliced and seeded a gazillion tomatoes that are waiting to go into a luscious pie --  then you're in a heap of trouble. Or are you?

I took a look at the Bisquick ingredients and if you ignore all of the things you can't pronounce, it's basically flour, oil/fat, baking powder, salt and sugar. So, I decided to make my own version. Guess what? It turned out great, and made the fluffiest, crumbliest biscuit crust for a truly delicious tomato pie. Score!

Better Than Bisquick Baking Mix
Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 TBS baking powder
1 TBS salt*
1 1/2 tsp sugar*
10 TBS cold unsalted butter or shortening
*Note if making a recipe that calls for sweet biscuits, use 2 TBS sugar and 2 tsp salt instead

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 1

To Do:

• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. 
• Add in the butter with a fork (or clean hands) until the mixture is crumb-like.
• You can make a batch and keep it in the fridge or freezer for a couple months. (Don't put it in the pantry -- keep it cold!) The basic biscuit mix is 2 cups Bisquick and 2/3 cup milk. For pancakes and shortcakes and such, you can either cut off the back of the Bisquick box and keep it handy for your use or you can find great Bisquick recipes here and here.

And for the tomato pie? A batch of biscuit mix with some Italian Seasoning mixed in, pressed into a greased pie baking pan then covered with a pound and a half of ripe tomatoes (seeded and sliced) and topped with a mixture of 1 cup mayo, 1/2 cup feta and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and some minced fresh basil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Yum!

 May all your days be biscuit days.

xoxo