Stop! Don't Re-Roll Your Scraps!

Every food guru on the planet tell us that re-rerolling our scraps of dough, be it cookies, pie crusts or biscuits, won't make for the prettiest goods. Although we all know it's true, we usually try to weasel out a few more usable pieces. Instead of ending up with those few odd shaped outcasts, try this easy tip that will further another meal down the road...

It's a simple fact that cutting circles from square pieces of dough leaves left over bits and pieces. One of our favorite ways to use the left overs is to freeze them! After making biscuits or cookies, pies or any quick bread for that matter, we toss the remaining pieces in a zip top bag with a scant tablespoon of flour. Shake gently and then remove excess air.

The bag of bits will keep in the freezer for 6 months (or more) and can be pulled out to top any soup, stew or chili. The bits are small enough they will cook atop the dishes like dumplings. You can also toss them in butter and herbs, throw them in an 8x8 pyrex or loaf pan and bake them at 375 until golden and delicious.

Besides, the little pieced together bit you would have made from the scraps always turns out dry and slightly darker in color because of it's uneven nature. They will be far better used in other dishes for a quick bread on a busy night!

(Image: Too-Hectic)

Comments (9)

For biscuits, I just smoosh the extra scraps into funny shaped biscuits, making sure they are the same relative height & size of the rounds I cut. They cook up even funnier & have been the special treat for my kids. That's what my sister & I used to fight over when we were younger.

The pie crust scraps get sprinkled with cinnamon sugar & baked on a sheet below the pie til golden & then eaten within 5 minutes out of the oven.

Save them for later? But I'm hungry now!

This sounds like a good excuse to make Monkey Bread.

why cant i just bake them anyway? who says my biscuits have to be the same shape?

Word, akops. I actually think the irregular biscuits have an even better texture than the first cutting--they're crustier. Who cares if they look a little odd?

my southern grandmother would always make one oddly shaped "monster" biscuit with the scraps. also called a "cat-head" biscuit (i have no idea), this treat was much desired and @tallsarah- we fought over it too!

With biscuit dough, I mash up the scraps for a funny biscuit, which I always leave for my boyfriend. With pie dough scraps, we do what my Mom-Mom (grandmother) always did: mash them together, roll them out, spread with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll up tight, slice the roll into 1 or 2" chunks, and bake with the crust. They're called rolypolies!

@TNstyliegal: they're called "cat-head" biscuits, because they're the size (and shape?) of a cat's head.

My mom always called those the "nasty biscuit". I always loved that one, because hers somehow ended up smaller than the other normal biscuits.

Another thing you can do with old pieces of dough (no matter what kind, really) is to use them as the starter for a new bread. I talk about this technique at the bottom of this post of mine: http://www.abreadaday.com/?p=557
It really does make for a better texture in your bread! Just gather up enough scraps, and go to town.

http://www.abreadaday.com