Buttermilk Biscuits

  • Buttermilk Biscuits

    I have to confess something.

    I have had a crush on biscuits since I was a teenager.

    My second job ever was at a mall food court restaurant called Grandma Lee’s, and in addition to mind-blowing butter tarts (which I really will recreate one day- they’re on the massive list of “Things I Must Bake One Day”), they had amazing tea biscuits (Canadian to U.S. translation: biscuits) that smelled up the whole food court when cut in half and toasted.  Yes, toasted.  Imagine a cheese biscuit or a raisin biscuit sliced in half, toasted, and covered with butter.  The textures… flaky yet toasted.  The tastes… buttery from the biscuit, and buttery from the, well, the butter.  Now do you see how this crush formed?  (The relationship intensified while I worked at Red Lobster making their Cheddar Bay Biscuits for years, as chronicled here. Formative years, indeed.)

    I have been obsessed with buttermilk lately, so had to throw them into the biscuits here.  Buttermilk is a wonderful thing, in case you weren’t tuned into it… especially the rich and creamy kind I’ve found at Whole Foods.  Buttermilk in biscuits is a classic combo- kind of like espresso and shortbread, or chocolate and anything.  (Like Caramel-Pecan Stuffed Brownies, for example.  I had almost forgotten about those.)

    Biscuits are relatively easy to make… if you have a food processor.  Just use really cold butter, don’t manhandle (over mix), and chill before baking.  (Oh yeah, and don’t forget the baking soda, like I happened to in my latest goof-up.)

     

    Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe…

    2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    9 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small chunks (125 g)
    3/4 cup buttermilk
    1 egg, beaten (for brushing prior to baking)

    1. Preheat oven to 400° and cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. In the bowl of a food processor, whirl flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together.
    3. Pulse butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with crumbs the size of peas.  Pour buttermilk in the spout while pulsing the processor, and whirl until dough just starts to come together.
    4. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press into a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick block.  Using a well-floured biscuit cutter (2 – 3″ in diameter), press straight down and transfer rounds to prepared sheet, spacing two inches apart.  In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and brush over tops of biscuits.  Place biscuits (the whole sheet) in fridge for 10 minutes to chill before baking.
    5. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 12 – 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then serve warm, with butter and your very favorite jam.  Or toast the biscuit halves and butter liberally.

    Tips:

    • Chill out!  Cold butter,  cold buttermilk, cold everything.  Butter needs to melt in an explosion in the oven to get puffy.  If it goes into the oven a little bit warm, it fails to explode.  Science.
    • No food processor?  Just use a pastry cutter to blend the butter in, old-school.  Like in Little House on the Prairie.
    • Biscuits like to be neglected in order to rise well.  Careful not to over mix or knead… and when you use the cutters to cut, try not to squash the crap out of the dough.
    • Like raisins?  Add them when you add the buttermilk… or currents, or dried cranberries with a bit of orange rind… or dried fruit of any kind.  Or chocolate chips- why the hell not?  Buttermilk chips!
    • Savory biscuits are totally an option- just use less sugar (decrease to 1 1/2 teaspoons) and add cheese and any favorite herbs when you add the buttermilk.  I dare you to make buttermilk blue cheese rosemary biscuits.  Maybe with toasted pine nuts for good measure.  (Really, I’m not kidding- I think it would be a classic.)
    • Biscuit Bonanza?   If you’re in the mood for a cheezy and spicy biscuit, try the Cornmeal Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits or the Cream Cheese Cheddar Herb Biscuits.  For a totally different take, try the Zesty Ginger Scone with Raisins and Orange Glaze.

     

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    May 22nd, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags:

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