Thomas Jefferson's Sweet Potato Biscuits 1774

"This recipe is from the National Constitution Center (NCC), Philadelphia PA. According to the NCC, Thomas Jefferson's biscuits were served at the first meeting of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and are served today at the famous City Tavern (built in 1773) located in Philadelphia's historic district at 2nd and Walnut Streets. These are a light, tasty biscuit (scone), with or without the pecans. I enjoy them with butter and honey. The nutrition can be improved by using a margarine instead of butter and leaving out the pecans."
 
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photo by May I Have That Rec photo by May I Have That Rec
photo by May I Have That Rec
photo by Mark & Stacy photo by Mark & Stacy
photo by May I Have That Rec photo by May I Have That Rec
photo by May I Have That Rec photo by May I Have That Rec
photo by KateL photo by KateL
Ready In:
30mins
Ingredients:
11
Yields:
10-12 biscuits
Serves:
10-12
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • Combine the dry ingredients. Add butter with fork, food processor or pastry cutter until the texture is small crumbs.
  • Combine milk and sweet potatoes. Add to flour mixture. Add pecans.
  • Knead dough with your hands until it is a smooth mass. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2" thickness and cut with a 2" biscuit cutter.
  • Place on a greased baking sheet 2" apart.
  • Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Questions & Replies

  1. Is there a glaze that is put on after they are baked because from the pictures shown, it seems there is...also, how are these without the pecans?
     
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Reviews

  1. These worked out nicely for us...I tagged this recipe playing the "I Recommend..." game based on KateL's review and went with her idea to simply approach them as a scone because I am not a biscuit eater~maker either...{{LOL}} :)-I do however have "scones in me bones", being raised on them as a "BLD&T" :) I used a left-over baked sweet potato from dinner the nite before...mashed it flavored with vanilla soy, cinnamon, and brown sugar...used a little less butter (& LOTS of pecans)... no reason there (w/ the butter)- just saving some to grease my pans and hands because no rolling out after kneading...just a pluck and drop type'othing...got 14 "bics-scones" and served with a dinner of salmon (recipe#108775) and asparagus (recipe#21438) which is very not norm in my house cause I usually serve more like rawish-veganish based dinners... but this was a special event and I was "playing being a Martha"...lot of left-over "bics-scones" that I served as breakfast/brunch/snack with some recipe#71837...mr. free-free was really into these, very "olde homey" recipe & it was his special event so THANKS Aimee...great recipe and good times... :) very Autumn festive...and fun...
     
  2. 4 Stars, these tasted fine -- sweet potato, some brown sugar and chopped pecans lent a slightly sweet taste -- but my biscuits were fairly flat, and it could well be chef error as I normally don't make biscuits from scratch (I normally do not eat them). I was intrigued with these because the sweet potato gave these biscuits more nutritional value, and because I was born in Charlottesville VA, site of Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. DH, our household's biscuit eater, was turned off by the sunken appearance, so I am not likely to make these again. I would appreciate any suggestions to yield a higher biscuit shape, as I enjoyed the taste. Or is the solution to call these scones? These were served with Recipe #314698 #314698 and Recipe #323054 #323054. Thanks for posting, Aimee, you have such intriguing recipes. Made for Fall 2008 Pick-a-Chef.
     
  3. Made exactly as written, except I left out the pecans. They rose beautifully, as they should have with that amount of baking powder. I was trying to duplicate the biscuits that our ham sandwiches were on at Gadby’s Tavern in Alexandria. That was 9 years ago, so my memory isn’t great, but I recall enjoying those sandwiches immensely - just like we enjoyed these biscuits with leftover Easter ham tonight! I had to cover the tops with foil when they were brown enough but not done inside. The again, I made big biscuits so maybe that was why they weren’t done in the middle whenthe tops were done. Some of my bottoms burned and some didn’t so I wonder if I have a hot spot in the oven. I may drop the temp a little next time, or try two cookie sheets stacked together. But there will be a next time. These were fabulous!
     
    • Review photo by Mark & Stacy
  4. Love these! Had them at City Tavern when we lived in South Jersey....delicious!
     
  5. My 20 year old daughter, who does not like to cook, made these for Thanksgiving dinner and they were a big success. They were light and had a nice spice taste. She is now receiving requests for the receipe. I also made them one morning for breakfast. They are a very good with coffee. Big thumbs up on this one.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I am living happily as a housewife in the English countryside (having grown up in rural Pennsylvania). This leaves me time to explore new recipes.&nbsp;I enjoy cooking and eating.<br /> <br />I love to bake, and my family likes treats, so we have cookies, muffins, and new-to-me English desserts sometimes, and I'm baking bread again.<br /> <br />My life also allows time for my other passions, reading and gardening. <br /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /></p>
 
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