8 November 2007

One Life to Live Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

I served these tender biscuits with the lightly curry flavoured soup from Magazine Monday. I had also bookmarked this recipe from the November issue of Food & Wine magazine as one of those recipes I had to try. I decided upon the Gruyere Herb version. For exquisitely flaky biscuits make sure to do 2 things: Use lots of cold butter and chill the dough before baking it. These biscuits were the flakiest I personally have ever made!



**Basic Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits**


2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks ( that would be 3/4 cup)unsalted butter - 10 T cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled, 2 T melted
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a large shallow bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine salt. Add the chilled butter and use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of peas.(On the Food Network I learned to grate the butter. This works excellently!!!) Stir in the buttermilk just until the dough is moistened. Lightly dust work surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch thick disk.

Using a floured 2-1/4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out biscuit rounds as closely together as possible. Gather the scraps and knead them together 2 or 3 times, then flatten the dough and stamp out more biscuit rounds. Pat the remaining scraps together and gently press them into a biscuit.

Transfer the biscuits to a large baking sheet and brush the tops with the melted butter. Lightly sprinkle the biscuits with a few grains of flaky salt and chill until firm, about 10 minutes.

Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, or until golden. Let the biscuits cool slightly on the baking sheet before serving.

Make Ahead: The unbaked biscuits can be frozen. Freeze biscuits in a single layer and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for up to one month. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the cooking time.

Makes about 15 biscuits

BISCUIT VARIATIONS

Sweet Lemon Poppy : Whisk 1/4 cup sugar with the dry ingredients. Stir in the grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds just before adding the buttermilk. Sprinkle with sugar.

Herb Gruyere: Stir in 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves, 1/2 tsp finely chopped sage leaves and 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese just before adding the cold buttermilk.

Cheddar Chive: Stir in 1 teaspoon chopped chives and 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese just before adding the cold buttermilk.

Parmesan Rosemary: Stir in 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese just before adding the cold buttermilk.

Savory Cranberry Walnut: Stir in 1 minced sauteed shallot along with 1/2 cup each chopped dried cranberries and chopped toasted walnuts and a pinch of pepper just before adding the cold buttermilk.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.
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18 comments:

  1. The first!!! How lovely picture and teapot!!!! I love teapots Valli, I collect them, buy here is so cost! I have someones!!! Nice recipe and beauty post. I like se.xxxxx Gloria

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  2. Great post and thanks for the biscuit varieties...I'll have ALL the cheddar ones please!

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  3. I LOVE that you included all of the variations!! They all sound so good!

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  4. I love teapots as well Gloria. I have started collecting individual size ones that make 1 - 2 cups of tea for each person. Then my guests can have whatever flavour they like.
    I love Cheddar herb scones Peter. I'd have to say I like savory scones a little bit more than sweet ones.
    Hope you get a chance to try them Deborah!

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  5. Biscuits look great and I love your teapot:-)
    X Matin

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  6. I must admit that it's a rare day that I'm in the mood for bisquits, but those look really good. Maybe I'll try the Parmesan rosemary ones. yum!

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  7. These look and sound great! I love your teapot! I think I'll try the rosemary parmesan ones.

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  8. Oooh! I made these when I saw them in F&W too, and you're right, they are great! I have been craving them ever since I made them. I think I'm going to try freezing as the recipe says you can. They would be great to have on hand!

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  9. I have been meaning to make biscuits for a while now. The cheddar and chives on sounds tasty. Or maybe cheddar and dill...

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  10. mmm Oh how I love a good biscuit! Its funny because for lunch today I made biscuits & gravy but with english muffins as a pretty bad substitute. :( I sure wish I had your biscuits instead!

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  11. Wow Valli, these sound great and it is so cool that you gave us lots of differnt was to flavor them. With the holidays almost upon us, these will be a good addition.
    I absolutely adore your plate and teapot! I am a BIG tea drinker and used to work in a great little tea shop here in KW.

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  12. I love warm biscuits with lurpak butter and orange marmelade. ok..gotta go bake your recipe now. See what you did? I'm serious..later!

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  13. Ooooo, all that butter! I bet they are wonderfully flaky - perfect with soup!

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  14. I love biscuits. They're not too hard to make, either.
    I like the idea of sprinkling them with flaky salt.

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  15. Mmm buttermilk anything is delicious. I love the variation possibilities you listed. :)

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  16. Your photography is getting even better...I need to practice more to catch up..
    Looks awesome as usual ... :)

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