January 14, 2011
After having quite the enlightening conversation with my co-worker about her North Carolina’s grandmother’s home-made biscuits fresh out of the oven, I was delighted that I came across this Buttermilk recipe from a blog that no longer active.
Feast-Worthy Buttermilk Biscuits
Slightly adapted from The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger
Ingredients: Makes 12 biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Cornmeal for dusting
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle the paper with cornmeal.
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the cold butter into this mixture, either using a pastry blender, a fork or your hands. I prefer to use my hands, gently rubbing the butter and flour mixture together until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and egg, briefly whisking. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. The dough will be sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, dusting with flour as needed to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Knead the dough a few times until it holds together, then roll or pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Now it’s time to use your biscuit cutter (you can also use the top of an empty, clean 14 or 15-oz tin can in place of a cutter, btw). Dip the cutter into your flour, then press it into the dough, gently pressing down and twisting slightly to ensure a clean cut. Cut as many biscuits as possible, then remove the scrap dough (set aside) and transfer the rounds to your baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 an inch of space between each round. You can roll the dough scraps up and cut a few more biscuits if you like.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2009/11/19/feast-worthy-buttermilk-biscuits/
