Smoky Bacon Biscuit Dressing

By cmschnettler

Ingredients

• Homemade Biscuits:
• 12 4-inch biscuits, cut into 11/2-inch cubes (see one of our favorite biscuit recipes below)
• 11/2 lbs. bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 1 lb. white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 TB. chopped fresh sage (or 4 tsp. RUBBED SAGE)
• 4 TB. chopped fresh thyme (or 4 tsp. THYME)
• 4 TB. chopped fresh tarragon (or 4 tsp. FRENCH TARRAGON)
• 4 TB. fresh rosemary (or 4 tsp. CRACKED ROSEMARY)
• 1-2 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/2-1 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER, to taste
• 4-5 Cups fresh chicken stock (or 4-5 Cups warm water mixed with 21/2 tsp. CHICKEN SOUP BASE)
• 1 pkg. yeast
• 1/4 Cup warm water
• 5 Cups flour
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 1 TB. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Cup vegetable shortening
• 2-21/2 Cups buttermilk
• 1/4 Cup melted butter (1/2 stick)

Preparation

Step 1

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350. Spread the cubed biscuits out on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 375.

While the biscuit cubes are baking, in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7-9 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper toweling. Pour off all but 3 TB. of drippings from the pan. Add the onions. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms and HERBS and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon. Season with salt and PEPPER. Add the biscuits and stock; stir to combine. Start with 4 cups stirred in stock, wait a few minutes, and add the remaining cup if it doesn't seem nice and moist.

Transfer the dressing to a large baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more.

Biscuits: Mix the yeast with the warm (not hot) water and set aside. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the shortening into small squares and work into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter. Mix in the dissolved yeast. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly into a circular shape. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. To form biscuits, either pinch off pieces of dough and roll into balls or roll out the dough to your desired thickness and cut with a round cutter. Dip both sides of the biscuits quickly in the melted butter and place in a Dutch oven or baking pan. Crowd the biscuits in the pan so they will rise up instead of out. Bake at 400° until golden brown, about 20 minutes.