Buttermilk Biscuits

Well here we go. The first official recipe post. How exciting, right? Aren't you just thrilled to your bones?

Patrick and I have been lusting after buttermilk biscuits for quite sometime now. The opportunity presented itself when we had a half used quart of buttermilk with a fast approaching (as in the next day) expiration date.  So I did what any self-respecting girl would do with left-over buttermilk, I made biscuits. and oh what delicious crumbly biscuits they are.


Recipe:

This yielded six large biscuits and two small ones for me, but the amount will vary depending upon the size of your biscuit cutter. The recipe also calls for a varying amount of sugar. I only put 2 teaspoons into this batch because I wanted a more savory biscuit. If you want them sweeter for say a brunch with tea and jam, just add more sugar.

2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons to 1 1/2 tablespoons (10 to 20 grams) sugar (to taste, see not above)
1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
3/4 teaspoons (5 grams) table salt
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
9 tablespoon (125 grams) chilled unsalted butter, but into small chunks
3/4 cup (175 ml) buttermilk

Preheat you oven to 400°F, and cover with parchment paper (I greased mine because I didn't have parchment paper and it worked fine, but the parchment paper helps with keeping the bottoms from browning faster than the top, as what happened with my biscuits). Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt into a bowl. Add the cubes of butter, and either with a pastry blender, or if you're like me and don't have fancy kitchen tools, use your hands to combine the flour mixture and butter until it reaches the consistency of a course meal.

Add the buttermilk and stir until large, chunky peaks form. Knead mixture with hands until it it just holds together.

For round biscuits: Move dough to a floured surface and pat out with your hands until it's about 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick (if you are uncertain go thinner. If your biscuits are too tall they will tip over in the oven when they rise). Using a round cutter, press straight down into the dough, avoiding twisting as that will limit the layering of the sides. Transfer the rounds to your baking sheet, spacing them about two inches apart.

For drop biscuits: If you don't have a cutter, or don't want to use one you can use the drop biscuit method. Just drop 1/4 cup spoonfuls onto the baking sheet, about two inches apart.

Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top. About 15-20 minutes. Let cool just a bit and enjoy with the filling of your choice! As for us, we chose egg and tomato.

Recipie adapted from Smitten Kitchen.