Roasted Beet Biscuits

We're visiting our oldest daughter in Madison Wisconsin this week.  I'm so excited to see her, the campus, her new apartment, and explore the great foodie town I've heard so much about.  I spent the few days before we left clearing out the kitchen, one of those unavoidable chores that has to get done before leaving home.  In this case I had some beautiful beets in the fridge, and they gave me the excuse to make something I've been curious to try for a long time.

I loved the Sweet Potato Biscuits I made recently, and I thought it would be fun to see if I could capture the color and flavor of beets in a biscuit as well.  I'd never seen it done before, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but I think I did!

There are a few things to keep in mind when making these biscuits.  Your beets should be roasted until they are completely soft, and you should puree them thoroughly, so they are as smooth and lump free as possible.  For me this meant running my small food processor a little longer than usual, and scraping down the sides several times.  A food mill would be perfect for this.  You will want to knead the dough briefly to work the beet puree though the dough so that your biscuits have as uniform a color as possible.  This is tricky because you never want to over-work biscuit dough or it will get tough as you develop the gluten in the wheat. 

These are worth making just for that color alone, don't you think?

Serve these striking scarlet biscuits with fall soups and stews, or alongside roasted meats and poultry.

Roasted Beet Biscuits
oven to 425
makes 6 large biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

• Put the above dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and whiz briefly to combine.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut in pieces

• Pulse in the butter, about 10-15 pulses to break it up and evenly distribute it through the flour.  The mix will be coarsely crumbly.

1/2 cup cold buttermilk (plus a little more if necessary)
1/2 cup beet puree  (roast your beets in a 400 degree oven until soft, then peel and puree.)

• Whisk together the buttermilk and beets and then add to the dry ingredients, while pulsing the machine.  If necessary, add a little more buttermilk to insure that the dough comes together.  Don't over-process.
• Turn the wet dough out onto a floured board and knead a couple of times to blend the beet color through the dough.
• Pat the dough into an thick 8 inch round and cut 4 biscuits.  Reform the dough gently and cut 2 more.
• Place the biscuits on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Put the whole pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes while you clean up.  If you pan can't fit in the freezer, put it in the refrigerator.
• Bake the biscuits for about 15-18 minutes, until risen and done inside. 
• Cool on a rack, or eat hot.

ps~~~ I also made pumpkin biscuits, using much the same method.  I'll post a recipe for them when I get home,

Other beet recipes you might want to try---

Golden Beet, Pea, and Goat Cheese Salad

Chilled Beet Soup

Tomato and Beet Salad

Beet, Watercress and Gorgonzola Salad

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad

Summer Beet and Corn Salad