Baking Essentials Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Food

FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Brush softened butter on a sheet pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a large glass measuring cup measure the buttermilk. Add the shortening. With an immersion blender on high, blend the shortening into the buttermilk until smooth.
• Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour. Toss until all of the pieces are coated. Lightly pinch the butter pieces into the flour.
• Lightly coat your work surface with nonstick cooking spray, then flour. (The spray keeps the flour in place.) Add the buttermilk/shortening mixture to the flour/butter mixture. Gently mix the dough with a rubber spatula until there are no dry bits of flour left. The dough should be slightly sticky.
• Transfer dough to the prepared work surface. Lightly coat your hands with flour and gently press the dough with the palms of your hands to form it into a smooth flat rectangle, 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it into thirds (like a letter). Pat the dough out again, sprinkle with a little flour, and fold it into thirds again. Turn the dough 90 degrees (this time folding in the open ends first.) Repeat one more time. Dough should no longer be sticky.
• With a floured 2- or 2 1/2- inch biscuit cutter, cut out dough rounds. Flip the rounds over so that the smooth sides that were against the work surface face up and place on the prepared pan, 1-inch apart. Stack the scraps and press and cut again. Refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, about 16 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving hot.

FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Chill all the ingredients (except for the buttermilk) and all the equipment in the freezer, including the blade and bowl of the food processor. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and butter in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse the mixture until it is the texture of fine meal.
• Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, pour the buttermilk into the well, and mix by hand until the dough comes together.
• Turn the dough onto a clean work surface, dust with flour, and roll it into a ½-inch thick rectangle, applying even pressure and squaring off the edges. Laminate the dough by folding it into thirds, like a letter, and dust with flour; then roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this procedure a total of seven times, dusting with flour as necessary.
• Use the dough scraper to cut the dough into 2x2-inch squares; discard the excess dough. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet close together, with about ¼-inch or less between them, so they'll touch gently when they bake. Chill the cut biscuits for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle them with the sea salt. Bake the biscuits until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and serve warm.

BAKING ESSENTIALS: FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Buttermilk substitute: Take 1 cup of regular milk, add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, or lemon juice. Stir, and let sit for 15 minutes... There you go. Self-rising flour substitute: For each cup of regular, all-purpose flour, add 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt (fine grind)... There you go.
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Add the stick of butter to the freezer, until solid, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl, then place in the refrigerator.
• Add the buttermilk to the refrigerator.
• Chef's Note: We want all the ingredients to be cold.
• After 30 minutes, remove the stick of butter from the freezer and grate on the large holes of a box, or plate grater.
• Add the butter to the flour and mix to combine, using your hands. Do not go too far, just gently mix the grated butter with the flour until evenly distributed.
• Put the mixture into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Place a rack in the lower position and preheat the oven to 475f (245c).
• Remove the flour from the fridge, make a well in the middle of the mixture, and pour in the milk.
• Mix with a wooden spoon until all the buttermilk is incorporated into the flour.
• Chef's Tip: I usually scrape around the sides of the bowl, push into the center, and repeat until all the dry ingredients are combined.
• Drop the dough onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to shape it into a rough rectangle, about 3/4-inch (2cm) thick.
• Dust with a bit of flour, then fold the bottom half over the top half, and roll back out.
• Repeat this process 3 more times. Roll, fold, dust. Roll, fold, dust.
• On the fourth time, roll out to 1/2-inch (1.3cm) thick, and use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, touching each other.
• Place in the preheated oven and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Chef's Tip: After they come out of the oven, you could brush a bit of butter over the tops... but, that is just a yummy option.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Serve while nice and warm with a hardy breakfast, or whenever you choose. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter or line with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Combine until the ingredients are incorporated. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and gently mix until the mixture just begins to come together.
• Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 2-inch squares or use a 2-inch round cutter to cut out biscuits. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat the process. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with the black pepper. Bake the biscuits until lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Cool on a baking rack.

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 450°F.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
• Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
• If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
• Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
• If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
• Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.
• Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
• You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
• Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
• If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
• Do not overbake.
• Note: The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough.
• The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits.
• I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.
• You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.
• Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit.
• Note 2: You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.
• When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes.