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Constitution Day, September, 2005, was coming and I was looking for a Science tie-in. I searched many websites and I could not find anything that incorporated science in with Constitution Day until I read the Mini-Page!

There it was...a series of articles on the Constitution and a recipe for Thomas Jefferson´s favorite sweet potato biscuits!

I took the recipe and changed it to metric and then created several worksheets for my students to change the different measurements to metric.

All 5 of my 6th grade Science classes made the biscuits the day before Constitution Day...over 200 of them! We baked them in our Family and Consumer Science ovens. (As we were taking them back and forth between the ovens and our classroom, we were able to tell lots of students, teachers, our Principal and Vice-Principal all about our Science tie-in with Constitution Day and pass out many hot biscuits!)

On Constitution Day, the students warmed up their biscuits in our microwave and enjoyed them with cinnamon butter or jelly.

What a great way to participate in a wonderful remembrance!

Thomas Jefferson´s Sweet Potato Biscuits (from the Mini-Page)

(Science´s metric measuring "tie-in" with Constitution Day!)

This was one of Thomas Jefferson´s favorite recipes in 1787. These biscuits are still made everyday at City Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

5 cups flour
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons (Tbsp) baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons (tsp) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (tsp) salt
1 teaspoon (tsp) ground ginger
½ teaspoon (tsp) ground allspice
1 cup shortening
1 can strained and pureed sweet potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and allspice.

3. Add the shortening and cut in with two knives until crumbly.

4. Add the pureed sweet potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.

5. Add the cream and pecans and stir just until moistened.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1 ½ inches thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2" floured biscuit cutter.

7. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown. Serve warm, or let cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen biscuits. (Cinnamon butter tastes great with these!)

NOTE: This biscuit dough freezes beautifully unbaked. Just layer the dough between waxed paper and store for up to 3 months. Simply defrost the dough and follow the baking directions.

Name _____________________________________ Period _____________

Metric Measuring Conversions

FLOUR
1 cup = 8 ounces (oz)
1 oz = 28.35 grams (g)
5 cups x 8 oz = __________ oz. x 28.35 grams = _______________ grams (g) of flour

LIGHT-BROWN SUGAR / SHORTENING
1 cup = 8 ounces (oz)
1 oz = 28.35 grams (g)
1 cup x 8 oz = __________ oz. x 28.35 grams = _______________ grams (g) of sugar

HEAVY CREAM
1 cup = 8 ounces (oz)
8 oz = 236.59 ml
1 cup x 236.59 ml = __________ ml of heavy cream

SPICES (CINNAMON, GINGER, ALLSPICE) / (SALT / BAKING POWDER)
½ teaspoon (tsp) = 2.465 ml
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 4.93 ml
1 ½ teaspoon (tsp) = 2.465 ml + 4.93 ml = _________ ml
1 tablespoon (Tbsp) = 3 teaspoons x 4.93 ml = *_________ ml
2 tablespoons (Tbsp) = 2 x *__________ ml = _________ ml

Now write your answers onto the correct lines below:

5 cups flour = _________ grams (g)

1 cup packed light-brown sugar = _________ grams (g)

2 tablespoons (Tbsp) baking powder = _________ ml

1 ½ teaspoons (tsp) ground cinnamon = _________ ml

1 teaspoon (tsp) salt = _________ ml

1 teaspoon (tsp) ground ginger = _________ ml

½ teaspoon (tsp) ground allspice = _________ ml

1 cup shortening = _________ grams (g)

1 can strained and pureed sweet potatoes

1 cup heavy cream = _________ ml

½ cup coarsely chopped pecans = _________ grams (g)

Name __________________________________ Period _________

Thomas Jefferson´s Sweet Potato Biscuits
(Science´s metric measuring "tie-in" with Constitution Day!)

This was one of Thomas Jefferson´s favorite recipes in 1787. These biscuits are still made everyday at City Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(Use your metric conversion sheet for these answers.)

_________ g flour
_________ g packed light-brown sugar
_________ ml baking powder
_________ ml ground
cinnamon
_________ ml salt
_________ ml ground ginger
_________ ml ground allspice
_________ g shortening
1 can strained and pureed sweet potatoes
_________ ml heavy cream
_________ g coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and allspice.

3. Add the shortening and cut in with two knives until crumbly.

4. Add the sweet potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.

5. Add the cream and pecans and stir just until moistened.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1 ½ inches thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2" floured biscuit cutter.

7. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm, or let cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen biscuits. (Cinnamon butter tastes great with these!)

NOTE: This biscuit dough freezes beautifully unbaked. Just layer the dough between waxed paper and store for up to 3 months. Simply defrost the dough and follow the baking directions.

Pam Crowell
6th grade Science
Indian Trails Middle School

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