Mini Pita Biscuits

I like the idea of biscuits. 

 The easy to roll out, perfectly round, individual portions - in other words the Perfect Biscuit.  However, I have never discovered this holy grail.  Most recipes leave you with a messy counter, crumbs of flour and butter and are hard to mix together.   If a recipe says anything about 'pea sized' bits of cut in butter, I know I won't have fun making that recipe (even though I will probably suffer through making it).

Yesterday, I was planning on making pizza, so I started to make some dough.  I only had 2 hours to make it from yeast poof to eat, so I decided to make my favorite pita bread recipe for the crust.  Then I thought, "Why can't I make this dough into biscuits?" 

And Behold!  The Mini Pita Biscuit was made!

This dough is really nice and easy to handle.  It is dream dough!  The pita biscuits are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside AND they still taste great the 2nd day.

Mini Pita Biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp instant (also called: fast acting or bread machine) yeast

2 tsp baking powder (secret ingredient!)

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup water

2 Tbs veg. oil

Combine all the ingredients to form a shaggy dough.  Kneed dough for 5 mins. in an electric mixer or 10 mins by hand, until it's smooth.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 500F degrees.

  Turn the dough out onto your work surface - kneed gently a couple times- Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick (the thick the dough the higher they will rise in the oven).  Cut into circles with a biscuit cutter or squares with a pizza cutter. 

Place biscuits on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 5 mins until golden brown.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Coffee Cake

This is the best banana bread/cake/anything ever!

This is the cake you want to make to sway a jury or win friends and favor.

The Best Ever.

It's heavy on the cake, light on the banana.

Perfect.

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Banana Chocolate Coffee Cake

Cake: 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use dark chocolate)

1 large or 2 small ripe bananas (1/2 cup banana puree)

3 large eggs

(I used 2 med tan, 1 med cream, 1 small blue- *hugs* to the chickens!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup veg. oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

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Glaze: 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 Tbs butter

1/4 cup cream

1 Tbs light corn syrup

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Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10 inch bundt-style pan.

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Place chocolate chips in a med bowl and melt them in the microwave. Set aside. In another bowl, mash bananas and set aside.

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Place eggs in a large bowl and beat them on high until they are light and foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is thick - about 5 mins on high speed.

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Gradually add the veg. oil to the egg mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat for another minute. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla.

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Fold in the dry ingredients. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the batter into the melted chocolate and gently mix until the chocolate and batter are well blended. Fold in mashed bananas.

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Pour half white batter into the prepared pan. Pour chocolate batter over this, top with remaining white batter. Swirl 2 batters together.

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Bake for 60 -70 mins. Until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for at least 15 mins before removing from the pan. Glaze when completely cool.

Making glaze: Mix all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Melt. Stir together until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to slightly warm. Pour over cake.

White batters and chocolate batter.


Swirling batters together.

Baked and turned out on a pan to cool.

Partially sliced - to allow the chocolate glaze to run down inside and coat each slice.

Glazed.

Look at that!

Mmmm chocolate.

Best ever.... I'm just saying....why aren't you cooking this yet?

Mmmmm, I think I'll have another slice.......