No Fail Buttermilk Biscuits

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Ann | 1 Comment

Are you looking for the most light, melt-in-your-mouth, savory, buttery biscuits for your holiday table? Or just for breakfast. Or for no reason at all. Look no further. These biscuits are made using a unique process that transforms the lowly biscuit into a new category of fluffy goodness. They are so easy that I decided to call them “no fail” biscuits. There is no guesswork, no kneading, and simple clean-up.

I stumbled on this recipe when looking for something to make for a friend’s pot luck “Biscuit Brunch.” Blogging about biscuits is fun, but it puts the pressure on when I’m asked to take biscuits somewhere. They can’t just be biscuits. They can’t just be good. They have to elevate the whole idea of a biscuit. So I pulled out the biscuit bible, aka Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart. This cookbook is a treasure trove of recipes, history, folklore, and a variety of biscuit techniques.

Why did you choose this biscuit recipe?

The recipe I chose to make is Shirley Corriher’s Country Buttermilk Biscuits, aka “Touch of Grace Biscuits” (link to great video of Shirley). What attracted me to it was the unique “wet dough” method. I had read about shaping the dough while wet, and this seemed like a great time to try it out. I added black pepper and chives to enhance the flavor.

What is persnickety about this recipe?

This recipe is all about technique. You mix up a super wet dough, like this:

Then you scoop it out and put it into a pile of flour – having an actual scoop really does make a difference here. One of the bonuses of this recipe is the easy cleanup. Instead of getting flour all over your counters, it is contained in the pan you choose. You gently roll the dough in the flour, shape it into a ball in your hands, and put it into your pan, snuggling them all together. You’ll notice that the balls of dough actually feel light and rather delicate. This is a good thing.

After baking, you brush them with plenty of butter, which makes them look lovely and taste even better.

So how were the biscuits?

They were fabulous – the texture was light and delicate and the chives gave a burst of flavor. By themselves, they were amazing. They also turned out to be the perfect vehicle for the sausage gravy that I made. I think I’ll have to do a whole post on gravy some time. Meanwhile, just know that these biscuits and gravy go together like, well, biscuits and gravy.

>>> Click here to download printable recipe.

No Fail Buttermilk Biscuits with Chives and Pepper

Adapted from Shirley Corriher, via Southern Biscuits

Makes 12 large or 20 small biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour (White Lily is my favorite for biscuits)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (optional)
1/4 cup shortening, frozen, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/8 cup chopped fresh chives (optional)
2/3 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup good buttermilk (I used Cruze Dairy farms)
1 cup all purpose flour, for shaping
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line either 9-inch round or 8 X 10 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Using fingertips, work in the cold shortening until crumbly. It is ok if there are different size lumps, but none should be larger than a pea. Add chives and mix. Then stir in the buttermilk and cream until just incorporated. The dough will be very sticky.
Spread the all-purpose flour onto a cookie sheet. Use a scoop to take about 1/4-1/2 cup of dough and put it onto the flour. An ice cream scoop is great for this. Using your hands, toss the pieces of dough with the flour, coating all sides. Shape into a ball. Place in pan on parchment. The biscuits can be placed close together. Continue until all dough is formed and pan is full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Biscuits are done when light brown and have a slight “give” when pressed. Brush with melted butter.
Share with someone you love!

Persnickety Pins – 6 Biscuits Someone Must Bake

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Ann | 5 Comments

We are almost halfway through National Biscuit Month – that’s right, September is officially the month of biscuits! And all I can think is, “MORE.” We must have more biscuits!

Over the last couple of years I’ve pinned so many recipes that look fantastic, but the time has come to admit that I simply cannot make them all, at least not this year. Perhaps not even in this lifetime. But I can still share them with you.

I’ve culled through my 357 pins and pulled out a few recipes that look particularly unique and delicious and worthy of sharing. While I have not tried them, I did review them carefully to make sure the proportions of ingredients looked correct and the flavor combinations winning. If you should try any of these, please let me know how they turned out!

Chocolate Buttermilk Biscuits from A Cozy Kitchen

Lemon Cornmeal Biscuits from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Everything Biscuits from Peas and Crayons

Rosemary Orange Cream Biscuits from Southern Souffle

Mexican Street Corn Biscuits from Jessica Webster on Ann Arbor News

Strawberry Black Pepper Biscuits from A Cozy Kitchen

Now, go make some biscuits, and share them with someone you love.

Simple Shortcuts: Powdered Buttermilk

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Ann | Leave a comment

Banana Biscuits au Chocolat | Persnickety Biscuit

Until now, I have been fairly strict with my biscuit ingredient choices. I choose buttermilk, not the milk and lemon juice substitute many swear by. Butter, not margarine. White Lily flour, not store brand. But there are times you can’t get to the store but you still want biscuits, so what do you do?

The fact is that there are many more variations on biscuit ingredients and recipes than there are readers of this blog, so there are a lot of answers to that question. I decided to test one out that I have not heard anyone else mention: powdered buttermilk.

Powdered Buttermilk| Persnickety Biscuit

This nifty little invention can be found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store – where evaporated, condensed, and powdered milks are to be found. Directions for use are on the side of the container. Basically, a few tablespoons of the mix are added to your dry ingredients. Then water or some other kind of liquid is added at the appropriate time.

Biscuit Dough| Persnickety Biscuit

For my experiment, I decided to use my banana biscuit recipe as my base. I used the appropriate amount of powdered buttermilk and mixed it in with the flour. Then I chose almond milk as my liquid, because that is what I had on hand. Besides, I figured the vanilla flavor in the milk would just be a bonus.

Otherwise, I pretty much followed the recipe. Of course, I also used some of the dough to make little chocolate filled pockets because, well, why not?

Banana Biscuits au Chocolat

Why choose this biscuit recipe?
This was all about convenience. I had all of the ingredients on hand: the overripe banana, almond milk, and powdered buttermilk.

What is persnickety about this biscuit recipe?
The thing that surprised me was when I added the wet ingredients to the dry. The dough was initially too dry, so I added a little more liquid. Then it seemed like the dough got really wet, really fast. I wondered if there were some kind of chemical reaction with the powdered buttermilk and the liquid that caused this. Do any of you readers know?

So how were the biscuits?
Delicious! We enjoyed a few of them and then the rest were bundled up and left with a friend who was dealing with a family crisis. At the end of all of my recipes, I say “Share with someone you love,” so that is what I did. She reported back that they did not last long in her household.

Banana Biscuits | Persnickety Biscuit

The Road to Scrumptious Cheddar Dill Beer Biscuits

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Ann | 14 Comments

These scrumptious, buttery, cheesy biscuits were the goal, but it took a couple of tries and a bit of heartache to get there. It was humbling, making a bad biscuit. So far, I had managed to elude the problems that so many novice biscuit-makers complain about. I suppose I got a little cocky.

I blame it on “New Kitchen Syndrome.” You know that stage where everything has been unpacked and stowed away, the counters have been cleared, and you should easily, at least in theory, be able to get back to baking again. Except you can’t remember where you put the measuring spoons and the ingredients you need are all in the very back of the cabinet. It is harder to do just about anything you want to do and can make you quite grumpy.

Eventually, I got to this. We are still talking about these Cheddar Dill Beer Biscuits. Buttery, cheesy, and slightly tangy biscuits made with beer instead of buttermilk. They were incredibly delicious and I will tell you how to make them in a moment.

First, though, we had this. They look pretty good, don’t they? Tall, flaky with a crisp slightly browned exterior. These should be wonderful. I am going to be honest and tell you they were not! They were incredibly dense and heavy and dry. They were edible but only with vast quantities of butter or completely smothered in soup.

So what went wrong? Two things. I forgot the cheese, for one. I was so mad when I realized, then kind of relieved that good cheese had not been wasted on this sub par biscuit. Second, not enough beer. Seriously, I believe the liquid to dry ratio was off, not allowing the beer to connect with the leaveners and help them work their magic. I was so concerned about making the dough too sticky that I made it too dry.

Well, with this little lesson under my belt I set out to make it right. I started again using the same ingredients, just with a little more beer. Despite the fact that I had trouble with the recipe the first time around, it is only a slight variation on my favorite buttermilk yogurt biscuit recipe. Self-rising flour, a little sugar, part shortening and part butter (frozen and then grated). I added grated sharp cheddar cheese and dill, along with a bit of black pepper. Because I did not want to waste a bunch of fresh dill, I got a paste from the produce department. Have you seen this before? It worked really well.

I mixed it in with the beer before adding it to the dry ingredients. Don’t be afraid to be a little heavy-handed with dill. I have found that it is one herb that can get lost if you don’t use enough. It is also a terrific compliment to the cheddar cheese.

The dough was a little sticky but still held together pretty well. I put the cut out biscuits pretty close together.

They rose nicely and joined together just enough to keep the sides moist. With a few minutes of baking time to go, I took them out of the oven, brushed them with butter, and sprinkled them with sea salt and a touch of fresh ground pepper. Then I put them back into the oven for a few more minutes.

Cheddar Dill Beer Biscuits | Persnickety Biscuit

Yes, that is a Yazoo beer – brewed in Nashville! Click on the photo for their site.

They broke apart perfectly and were thoroughly delicious with the slight amount of pepper and perfect melding of cheddar and dill. No additional butter was required and these definitely did not need to be smothered in soup! I felt completely vindicated. Here is the recipe. Don’t let my initial failure scare you off. These really are easy and so worth it when you get it right!

>>> Click here for printable biscuit recipe.

Cheddar Dill Beer Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, frozen and grated
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 T dill (fresh or paste)
3/4 cup beer
Melted butter for brushing tops of biscuits

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the first three dry ingredients.
Add Crisco to dry ingredients and rub with your fingers to break the Crisco up into small, pea sized pieces.
Add grated, frozen butter to dry ingredients and stir to coat butter pieces with flour mixture.
Add grated cheddar cheese to dry ingredients and stir to coat cheese pieces with flour mixture.
If using fresh dill, then add it to the dry ingredients and stir. If using dill paste, mix with the beer in small bowl or measuring cup.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beer. Mix quickly with large spoon or hands, turning bowl and gently scooping the dry ingredients into the wet. Add more beer, if needed, to make dough moist but not too wet. It will be somewhat sticky.
Sprinkle flour onto countertop or pastry board. Dump dough out of bowl onto flour. Sprinkle flour onto dough and rub onto hands. Knead a few times. Press dough together and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Fold dough in half. A pastry scraper can be really helpful here to lift up the dough.
Transfer dough to parchment paper. Press out to about 1/2 inch. Make into a rough rectangular shape. Using a pastry scraper, knife, spatula or other edge, cut dough into squares about 1 1/2 inches across. You do not need to move the dough after cutting. Alternately, use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Place them close together on the parchment. Press remaining dough together and repeat.
Put cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 12 minutes, until tops of biscuits are slightly browned. Take the biscuits out of the oven and brush the tops of the biscuits with butter, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper, then return them to the oven.
Bake about 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes.
Share with someone you love!

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Biscuits

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Ann | 6 Comments

Lately, I have been waking up at 4:30 am on a regular basis, knowing that attempting more sleep is futile. There is just so much to do. I’ve been sorting through everything in my house, figuring out what to throw away or give away, what to put in storage, and what to move to M’s house. He has been doing much the same, making room for me and my things.

I do try to sleep more but generally give up at 5:30 or 6 and use the extra morning time to get some things done. On this particular morning I decided to make biscuits with my extra time, because that’s what you do when you should really be packing.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

I had a bag of locally produced whole wheat flour from Shelton Farms that I had been wanting to try. I noticed that it was low in protein, like White Lily. They say that you want lower protein flour (2 g/serving) for biscuits and higher protein for breads, so this seemed perfect.

I also had a Granny Smith apple in the fridge that needed to be eaten. I had been wanting to experiment with shredding apple into biscuits ever since I made the Paige’s Family Biscuit recipe. That one seemed to benefit from the larger chunks of apple in my second making, but I liked how the smaller pieces sort of disappeared into the biscuit in the first making, becoming part of the biscuit and not just an addition to it.

Finally, I have been following a very low tech biscuit making process for some time now. There is something very satisfying about that. Getting your hands into the flour, rubbing the butter. But I do happen to have, and to love, this wonderful food processor and have wondered if and how it might be of use in the biscuit making process.

There you have it – the perfect storm of flour, fruit, and appliance came together to inspire these Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Biscuits.

What is persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

It might be difficult to find a whole wheat flour that is low in protein. If that is the case, you may want to try using half of a regular WW flour and half low protein white. I’ve also heard of mixing in part cake flour to add the lightness. If you try one of these options please let me know how it turns out!

I also added some ricotta cheese to this biscuit and believe that, and the grated apple, are what makes this biscuit so moist.

So how were the biscuits?

They turned out just as I had hoped they might. Nutty, moist, flaky, slightly sweet, lightly spiced. Perfect warm or cool, with butter or without. Seriously, you could throw one of these into a lunchbox and it would be a perfect snack – no reheating required. I took a couple into the office to share with coworkers and they are still talking about them.

How were the leftovers prepared?

I only baked a few in the first batch and those were gone in hours. The remainder were cut out and put onto a cookie sheet to freeze, uncooked. After freezing, they were bagged up and saved.

Later I took them out of the freezer, placed them close together on a parchment lined baking pan, and baked them at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. I did not thaw the dough first. Note that is a lower temperature and longer time than if the dough were fresh.

I brushed a little almond milk on them and sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top of that before putting them in the oven. The frozen biscuits baked up perfectly. My mother came over to help pack and it was the perfect thing to share with her.

Remarkably, there were still a few biscuits left after that, so I got creative with toppings and constructed this biscuit sandwich.

If you want to make something similar, just slice the biscuit in half, put a nice slice of Brie cheese on the bottom of the biscuit, add a layer of cooked bacon and a few very thinly sliced apples, another thin layer of brie, and put the top half of the biscuit back on the stack. Warm the whole thing in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes – or until you notice the cheese getting nice and melty. Yum!

>>> Click here for printable biscuit recipe.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups low-protein (2 g/serving) whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, frozen and cut into small pieces
¼ cup butter-flavored Crisco, frozen and cut into small pieces
1 tart apple, peeled and shredded
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup buttermilk
About ¼ cup all purpose flour (for folding and cutting out dough)

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put the first six dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse for 20-30 seconds to blend thoroughly.
Add butter to dry ingredients and pulse food processor 15-20 times until butter has been incorporated and the bits that remain are about the size of a pea.
Add shortening to food processor and pulse 15-20 times until shortening has been incorporated and the bits that remain are about the size of a pea. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Using the shredding attachment of the food processor, shred the apple. Add to the dry ingredients and mix to coat the apple and break up shredded pieces so that they are loose in the mixture. You do not want them to all stick together.
Combine vanilla, ricotta, and buttermilk in a small bowl. Whisk together.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture. Mix quickly with spatula or hands, turning bowl and gently scooping the dry ingredients into the wet. Add more buttermilk, if needed, to make dough moist but not too wet.
Sprinkle flour onto countertop or pastry board. Dump dough out of bowl onto flour. Sprinkle flour onto dough and rub onto hands. Press dough together and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Fold dough in half. Repeat three times. A pastry scraper can be really helpful to lift up the dough. Keep adding a little flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Press out to about ¾ of an inch high. Using a biscuit cutter or tin can, cut out biscuits. Transfer to cookie sheet. Place biscuits close together on cookie sheet, or 1 inch apart if you want crispier biscuits. Press scraps together and cut out remainder of biscuits.
Put cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until tops of biscuits are slightly browned. If you wish, take the biscuits out of the oven a couple of minutes before they are done and brush the tops of the biscuits with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then return them to the oven.
Remove from oven, let rest a few minutes, then break apart and eat!
Share with someone you love.

The Best Biscuit Sandwich Ever

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Ann | Leave a comment

What to do with leftover Banana Biscuits?

I was alone in the house when I made them, which means, contrary to what one might think, I did not eat them all. I also happened to have a supply of leftover ham. It would not have occurred to me, under normal circumstances, to combine ham and banana. But something told me that it just might work. From that point on, I tried not to think too much.

Cooking is sometimes a little like sports – you have to get in the zone. Let your senses do the work – smell, taste, feel …. bake.

Sometimes, if you are lucky, there will be magic. This was one of those times, if I do say so myself. The hint of banana, combined with the smoky ham and sweet/tangy mustard, is perfect. Make some of these for your next party or book club or just a leisurely weekend breakfast at home.

>>> Click here to download a printable version.

Banana Ham Swiss Biscuit Sandwich

(aka The Best Biscuit Sandwich Ever)

Ingredients:

6 large Banana Biscuits
3 eggs, beaten
½ lb ham, diced
1 cup shredded good quality swiss cheese
¼ cup Honey Baked Ham hickory mustard (or any honey mustard)
4 T. butter, melted, divided into two
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scramble eggs and divide into six parts. Do not overcook the eggs.
Slice biscuits. Place bottoms of biscuits close together on parchment paper.
Combine mustard and onion powder with 2 T. of butter.
Spread mustard mixture on both tops and bottoms of biscuits.
Cover bottom halves of biscuits with half of swiss cheese and all of the ham.
Spread scrambled eggs over ham.
Top with swiss cheese.
Put tops of biscuits on top of cheese.
Brush tops of biscuits with remaining 2 T. melted butter mixed with poppy seeds.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese melts.
Remove from oven and run a knife between the biscuits to make sure they are separated.
Share them with someone you love.

Banana Biscuits with a Nutella Variation

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Ann | 8 Comments

I have a narrow window when it comes to bananas that are ripe enough but not too ripe. And I eat a banana almost every day. This means two things.

(1) I make frequent trips to the grocery store and bananas are always on my list. Always. Literally. I use a grocery list app on my phone and never clear bananas from the list.

And…

(2) There are frequently overripe bananas that must be dealt with, partly on purpose and partly by chance. I use them in smoothies and lately for this Pinterest recipe for easy banana “ice cream.”

This weekend I decided to try making Banana Buttermilk Biscuits.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

It was inspired by this one from Dine and Dish, but I made a few modifications based on the ingredients I had on hand and my hope to punch up the flavors a bit. I particularly thought more vanilla flavor and banana would be nice.

Mashed banana with vanilla

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

I did not see a lot of options when it came to banana biscuits, so decided to go with this one and just vary a couple of things slightly.

What is persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

This dough was really sticky! I did not end up putting in more banana, which was just as well. I don’t think I would have had any luck cutting out the biscuits if I had. I did add more vanilla.

I also decided that I needed to add a variation. Since I am partial to the combination of Nutella and bananas, I went with that.

I thought I should freeze the Nutella to make chunks of it, but I had read that Nutella does not freeze well. Perhaps because I was -ahem- using on off-brand, I had no trouble getting thin, frozen, little sheets of it. I layered these with the dough right before cutting it out.

Banana Biscuit Dough with Nutella

Nutella Folded in and Ready for the Oven

So how were the biscuits?

I have to say that these surprised me a bit. I had guessed that the Nutella variation would be my favorite, but found myself partial to the plain banana biscuit. Well, plain with honey butter! Because everything is better with honey butter! I made the biscuits huge so they were moist and fluffy inside with just enough banana flavor to enhance the buttermilk biscuit flavor.

Bottom line is that they were wonderful and you should go make them. Now. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

How were the leftovers prepared?

Ahhh, these leftovers got special treatment. So special that I will be dedicating a whole post to what became The Best Biscuit Sandwich Ever. Stay tuned!

>>> Click here for printable biscuit recipe.

Banana Biscuits (with Nutella variation)

Ingredients:

2 cups White Lilly Self-Rising flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco, frozen and cut into small pieces
1 very ripe banana mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the first three dry ingredients.
Add Crisco to dry ingredients and rub with your fingers to make the Crisco break up into small, pea sized pieces.
Combine mashed banana, vanilla, and buttermilk
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk mixture. Mix quickly with large spoon or hands, turning bowl and gently scooping the dry ingredients into the wet. Add more buttermilk, if needed, to make dough moist but not too wet. It will be somewhat sticky.
Sprinkle flour onto countertop or pastry board. Dump dough out of bowl onto flour. Sprinkle flour onto dough and rub onto hands. Knead a few times. Press dough together and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Fold dough in half. A pastry scraper can be really helpful here to lift up the dough.
Transfer dough to parchment paper. Press out to about 1/2 inch. Make into a rough rectangular shape. Using a pastry scraper, knife, spatula or other edge, cut dough into squares about 1 1/2 inches across. You do not need to move the dough after cutting.
Put cookie sheet in oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until tops of biscuits are slightly browned. If you wish, take the biscuits out of the oven a couple of minutes before they are done and brush the tops of the biscuits with butter, then return them to the oven.
Remove from oven, let rest a few minutes, then break apart and eat!
Share with someone you love.

Nutella Variation

Use 1/4 cup or more of Nutella, depending on whether you are using a full or partial batch of the biscuits.
Spread thin sheet of Nutella onto wax paper and put into freezer for at least one hour before you begin making the biscuits.
Flatten dough to ¼ to ½ inch. Break up Nutella and spread the bits on the outer two thirds of the dough. [see photo above]
Fold dough towards the middle, like a letter folder into thirds. Transfer to cookie sheet, flatten dough slightly, and cut into squares.
Bake as directed.

National Biscuit Month – Top Five Biscuits

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Ann | 7 Comments

In honor of September being National Biscuit Month, I’ve created a list of …

“Wait, there is a National Biscuit Month?” you ask. Yep. That’s what I hear and I’m going with it.

So … I’ve created a list of the top five biscuit recipes I’ve tried since starting this blog. If you would like to make some biscuits and don’t know where to start, pick one of these and you can’t go wrong. Almost all of them are some combination of savory and sweet, with a little spice thrown in for good measure. They are in no particular order.

Buttermilk Yogurt

So far, I’d have to say that this is my favorite recipe for “plain” biscuits. They are so light and fluffy and slightly tangy. Perfect by themselves and also an excellent vehicle for any herb or spice that you might want to add. They also turned out to be the perfect cake to use for Strawberry Shortcake with sweetened whipped cream.

Bacon, Brown Sugar

This is the biscuit that completely redefined bacon for me. Plain bacon is good. Really good. But bacon that has been cooked with black pepper and brown sugar? Transcendant. Then you mix that into a biscuit? Crazy good food. That’s what it is.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar

I love how the creator of these biscuits was so generous in sharing the recipe with me. These biscuits are mostly savory, with a bit of sweetness from the apple. Which is also a bit tart. Wonderful blending of flavors and textures in this one. I may have to make another batch while I still have some fresh basil in the garden.

Pumpkin

These are sweet, but not too sweet. So moist with the pumpkin, and slightly spicy, and a gorgeous color. Something for all the senses. I also love the way the sweet and spicy played off of the fine sausage that I paired with it. That made these magical.

Buffalo Blue Cheese

Because sometimes you just need Buffalo flavored . . . anything. These are a unique and tasty way to fulfill the craving.

——-

Now, go, make some biscuits, and let me know how they turned out. And, as always, share them with someone you love.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige’s Family Dinner Biscuit)

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Ann | 4 Comments

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige's Family Dinner Biscuit)

Luscious.

That’s what my friend said after I gave her half a dozen of these biscuits as part of her birthday present. There were other adjectives as well, but “luscious” was the subject line of the email she sent me, so that is the one I remember the best. She did not share them with her husband or son, but savored them privately over the course of the week.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

If you have not read my previous post, you might want to. The creator of this recipe, Matt Sandbank, was kind enough to give me permission to write about and share his award-winning (International Biscuit Festival) recipe in this blog. When I opened his email, I was really excited about the combination of ingredients, especially the fresh basil, since I have masses of it in my garden. Score!

These herb scissors are my favorite new kitchen tool.

After my excitement about the chance meeting with this biscuit aficionado and his recipe, I just hoped the biscuits would be good and that I would not botch the making of them!

What is persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

Strangely enough, it was the apple. I ended up making these twice. The first time, M. was assisting. I asked him to chop the apple into small pieces. That he did. Very small pieces. Seemed like a great idea, but the apple sort of got lost in the final product.

See how tiny those apple bits are?

The second time I made them, I was careful to create nice sized chunks of apple. That time, you absolutely knew when you were biting into an apple chunk.

The other thing I found really interesting is while the recipe uses self-rising flour, it also has added baking powder. This is the first time I’ve run across a recipe that adds more baking powder. I wonder if that made them more fluffy than they would be otherwise?

Larger pieces of apple this time.

What changes were made in the making of this biscuit recipe?

As few as possible. I wanted to represent this recipe well and get as close as I could to how Matt would have made them. I was out of corn meal so did not dust the baking sheet with it for either attempt. That is the only alteration I made to ingredients.

Look at all those goodies mixed with the flour.

I used good quality sharp cheddar that I grated myself. Matt specified a Granny Smith apple. I have always loved their tart crispness, so was happy to comply.

The first time I made these I even cut them into rounds and spread them out on the baking sheet, as directed. The second time, though, I reverted to rectangles baked very close together. It has become such a habit to make biscuits this way that I did not even think about it until they were done.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit Dough (Paige's Family Dinner Biscuit)

So how were the biscuits?

I am so happy to report that I can understand how they won an award. This recipe is now high on my list of favorites. They were so moist and the basil lent a stunning burst of fresh flavor that worked perfectly with the cheese and the mild sweetness of the apple.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige's Family Dinner Biscuit)

As I said, the apple got kind of lost in the first batch, but I do think it is what made the biscuit so moist, even the next day. I may use that to my advantage in future biscuit recipes.

I took the second batch to a Labor Day cookout and there was a lot of excitement around the biscuits. First, they are just so pretty with the ribbons of basil and melted cheese and slightly toasted tops. And then you taste them. Divine.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige’s Family Dinner Biscuit)

I served them with honey butter and also a peppery, spicy honey butter that could have been a bit spicier. Both worked well with the savory-sweet biscuits.

As the evening wore on, there was this one biscuit that kept getting cut in half and one half eaten, then cut in half again and so on. You know, how no one wants to be responsible for taking the last bit? Finally, I grabbed the last bite and finished them off myself.

Apple, Basil, CheddarBiscuit (Paige's Family Dinner Biscuit)

How were the leftovers prepared?

I’m going to have to start making larger batches or not sharing them so liberally if I want leftover biscuits to play with. There was just one biscuit left the next day from the first batch. I nibbled on it over the course of a couple of days. It was really good – even at room temperature.

Nothing was left from the second batch. I had piled all the dough into one pan, cut it in place, then took the whole pan to the party, so that I could easily heat them up there.

The final word? Make these biscuits. Now. Tonight. This weekend. Then share them with someone you love.

Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige's Family Dinner Biscuit)

>>>Click here for printable biscuit recipe.

Paige’s Family Dinner Biscuits (from Matt Sandbank)

Ingredients (in order of use):

2 cups White Lilly self-rising flour

1 and 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

6 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup fresh basil, cut finely

1 large Granny Smith Apple, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 cup buttermilk, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup measurements

a pinch or two of corn meal

Method of preparation:

mix flour and baking powder together thoroughly
sprinkle cubes of butter across the top of the flour/baking powder mixture, then use a “pinching” gesture to break down all of the butter cubes into pea-sized or smaller chunks
immediately move flour/baking powder/butter mixture to a cold place while preparing ingredients for step 4
mix cheddar cheese, basil, and apple together
make a hollow in the center of the flour/butter, then add cheese/apple/basil, and then mix evenly
reform a hollow and add 3/4 cup buttermilk, using the 1/4 cup in reserve if needed flour hands and move dough onto a floured cutting board. Flour the top of the dough and fold twice in half before pressing out into a sheet. Dip biscuit cutter into flour and cut out biscuits, taking time to relish the sensation of the cutter slicing through chunks of apple as you do so.
sprinkle corn meal on an oven tray and arrange biscuits with an inch or so between them on the tray
bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes, rotating oven tray at the eight-minute mark.

A Memorable Memorial with Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Biscuits

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Ann | Leave a comment

Sweet Corn Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

On July 4th, I went to a Happening. No, that is not some kind of supernatural event . . . well maybe it is. In this case, it was a gathering of artists, friends, and fireworks enthusiasts; a tribute to beloved artist and Vanderbilt Professor Don Evans, who died a few months ago.

Don was known for opening his home, gathering people together, and encouraging everyone to “do something.” Make something. Participate in some way. While I never knew Don, I was honored to attend this event and be able to Do Stuff in his honor. I was a little nervous, though. What would this thing be like?

First, it turned out to be a reunion of sorts, as many memorials/funerals are – I saw people there that I had not seen in years, which was a wonderful surprise. Beyond that, there were different activities going on all over the property – in the barn, the house, the yard. There was a variety of simultaneous art projects; screenings of Don’s films; the release of a huge whirligig made of an airplane wing and a rocket while we all sang a song called Hard Work; the distribution of ashes; and sharing of stories about Don.

The evening ended with a fireworks show that was truly unlike anything I had ever seen before – a fireworks hat on top of a sculpture and a whole tower of spinning fireworks. Participants had spent many hours constructing it and shielding it from the rain that came and went all day. It was truly a unique celebration of a man’s life.

Fireworks Sculpture

As one might expect, there was lots of food. Everyone brought something, from chips, to hummus, to salad, to an amazing chocolate cake. I know it is shocking, but . . . I brought biscuits. Sweet Honey Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Biscuits to be specific.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

This recipe comes from a blog called Half Baked Harvest. She tells a pretty entertaining story about her first time cooking with jalapenos. A cautionary tale, one might say.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

I enjoyed reading the post and thought these sounded really different, while still being a biscuit. Plus, I knew that the biscuits would have to sit a while – there was no way everyone would get to eat them hot out of the oven, so I wanted something with enough flavor to come through at room temperature.

Sweet Corn Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuit Dough

What is Persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

The cheese is cut up into cubes, instead of grated. That seemed like a good idea, but the cubes on the outside of the dough melted and ran out of the biscuit and onto the pan. I’m not worried about my pan, since I used my trusted parchment paper. But it is sad when good cheese is lost in the baking of a biscuit!

What changes were made in the making of this biscuit recipe?

I followed the recipe closely. The only change I made was to add less chopped jalapeño, which was a mistake. I was afraid they might be too spicy.

Sweet Corn Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuit

So how was the biscuit?

I found them a bit dry and the flavors were too mild. More jalapenos, cheese, and honey might have all helped. I wanted them to pack more of a punch. But I have to admit that they were all devoured at the Happening, so it might have just been me!

I also made them quite small so that there would be plenty to go around. I think they might be better if they were bigger so that there would be more of the soft interior, to contrast with the dry and crumbly exterior. I would also make some kind of filling next time, or serve them with a healthy slather of honey butter. Because everything is better with honey butter!

How were the leftovers prepared?

There were not many leftovers, but I toasted the few that were left behind. They got nice and crispy.

Toasted Sweet Corn Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

The Persnickety Biscuit

One Day at a Time, One Biscuit at a Time

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Apple, Basil, Cheddar Biscuit (Paige’s Family Dinner Biscuit)

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No Fail Buttermilk Biscuits with Chives and Pepper

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