Jammy Biscuits

Makes 8

Jammy Biscuits are a Southern interpretation of sticky buns, one which takes advantage of the light, fluffy quality of the soft winter wheat used in the South and the abundance of flavorful fruit jams. I like this best with chunky peach or apricot jam, but it also works very well with a tart, thick orange marmalade.

1/2 cup butter, plus some for the pan
1 cup peach or apricot jam, or marmalade
1/8 cup crystallized ginger, minced
2 cups flour (preferably soft wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan liberally with butter, and set it aside.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan. Pour 1/4 cup out of the pan, and set it aside. Add the jam and crystallized ginger to the pan, and stir over very low heat until mixed and of pouring consistency. Pour it into the bottom of the greased pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter and the milk. Use a wooden spoon or your floured fingers to quickly mix, until the dough holds together in a rough ball. Turn it out on a liberally floured flat surface, and roll it into a rectangle about a foot long and 8 or so inches wide.

Mix the brown sugar with the pecans, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Roll the dough into a log of 12 inches long. Use a sharp knife to cut every 1-1/2 inches to make 8 biscuits. Place them with a cut side down in the jam, snugly. It's okay if they touch.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden. Allow to cool for 3 minutes, then turn upside down onto a serving plate. Serve at once.

Butter Beans to Blackberries
Recipes from the Southern Garden
By Ronni Lundy
North Point Press
A division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.
Hardback, $27.50, May 1999
ISBN: 0-86547-547-4
Recipe Reprinted by permission.