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!

Apple Butter and Biscuits at Sunset Grill

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Ann | 1 Comment

Everyone knows now. If we are at a restaurant and biscuits are on the menu, then I have to order them.

So far, there have been no complaints.

Last night, we went to Sunset Grill to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Thanks to some connections, we were able to get a table (it is Vanderbilt’s graduation weekend) and a welcome visit from the owner Randy Rayburn.

The seasonal menu had cheddar biscuits and corn muffins with sorghum apple butter. We got a couple of orders and shared them around the table before our meal, which was delicious, by the way.

So how were the biscuits?
Quite wonderful, really. Just thick enough, with a lightly crisp top, and fluffy interior. A bit of salt and cheese to flavor them.

What was persnickety about these biscuits?
The butter, interestingly enough, was the real surprise here. When the menu said apple butter, I was thinking of thick, spiced, cooked down apple butter. But this was fresh butter, lightly sweetened with sorghum, with chopped up bits of fresh Granny Smith apple in it. Brilliant. It really made the dish. I’m definitely going to have to try this one at home.

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!

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

Top Five Unexpected Biscuit Lessons Learned [So Far]

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Ann | 1 Comment

All of the biscuit baking and tasting and studying over the past few months has been quite enlightening. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned along the way.

There are many sites, articles, cookbooks, and blogs that will teach you the basics of biscuit baking, so I decided to share my slightly less traditional advice. Without further ado, here are my top five favorite, but unexpected, lessons learned [so far].

Frozen, pre-grated butter. First of all, if you grate frozen butter, you really have to do very little to “cut it in” or incorporate it into the dry ingredients. Second, you can pre-grate it and store it in batches. The next time you make biscuits and get out the grater and frozen butter, grate a lot of extra butter, divide it up into 1/4 or 1/2 cup portions (measure before grating for accuracy) and throw it back into the freezer for the next time you bake biscuits. The last time I made biscuits, I used butter that I had pre-grated and it was a revelation. It made the whole process so easy and fast.
Rectangles and squares are good. Who said round biscuits are better? Don’t believe them! Think about it. One of the traditional recommendations for biscuit baking is to not overwork the dough. So when you flatten the dough into one big rectangle and use a pastry scraper or knife to cut it into squares or rectangles, there are no leftover scraps. Therefore you are only “rolling” out the dough once. And those weird, last, misshaped biscuits formed from the remaining cutout scraps are all but eliminated.
Parchment paper rocks. I have learned to love parchment paper. It is the perfect venue for baking biscuits (or just about anything else) and can usually guarantee that the freshly baked items will release easily. I keep a roll of it on hand at all times now. Remember that wax paper and parchment paper are not the same.
Cut where you cook. I think the best advice is often the thing that makes you say, “Well, duh! Of course!” Put the just kneaded dough onto the parchment paper, press it out into a rectangle, and cut it into squares right there. No need to cut out and pick up and move each biscuit.
No fancy tools needed. While I have, and love, a pastry cutter, scraper, mat, and a whole assortment of different shapes and sizes of biscuit cutters, you don’t really need all that. You can cut butter or shortening in with your fingers, knead on your countertop, and cut out the biscuits with a knife or old tin can. Biscuits really are low tech.
Bonus Item: Freeze raw dough. Everyone knows that the best biscuit is a freshly baked one (regardless of my fondness for toasted leftovers). So cut out all the dough but only bake what you need and freeze the remainder. Then thaw the frozen dough overnight, let it rest at room temp for a few minutes, and bake as directed in your recipe. They may not rise quite as much as the originals, but you still get that great fresh-baked flavor and texture.

Do you have any favorite tips or tricks? Please comment and share!

Oh, and if you are still a bit mystified by the basics of baking a good biscuits, here are a few references you might find useful.

This is a video of Sean Brock, the famed chef/founder of Husk in Charleston and the newly-opened Husk Nashville. I really like how you can see how he works the dough. It looks so soft and light as he is turning it and incorporating the buttermilk.
This blogger provides a wonderful list of the traditional suggestions for biscuit making.
Finally, White Lilly, the biscuits flour of all biscuit flours, provides their own tips here.

Now go grate some butter, make some biscuits, and share them with someone you love!

Buffalo Blue Cheese Biscuits with Creamy Buffalo Chicken Filling

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Ann | 2 Comments

It seems to come out of nowhere. Perhaps I got a whiff of vinegar or pepper or just chicken. It’s hard to tell. All I know is that I am suddenly craving buffalo chicken wings. Can you relate?

I address this in a few different ways. Sometimes I’ll go get wings at Broadway Brewhouse – simple enough. Or I might make a Buffalo Chicken Pizza, or just add some Frank’s hot sauce to roasted chicken. On this day, though, I tried something different. Something new. Something that took the Buffalo Chicken experience to a whole new level. I made Buffalo Blue Cheese Biscuits with Creamy Buffalo Chicken Filling.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

I made up the biscuit recipe and was really happy that the balance of flavors turned out the way I wanted. The filling is a Hungry Girl recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip. It was perfect on the biscuit, adding a bit more spice and a creaminess that complemented the fluffy, tangy biscuit.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

I had seen recipes for blue cheese biscuits and I had seen a recipe for biscuits made with Frank’s Red Hot sauce and parmesan cheese. I was shocked that I could not find a recipe that combined the hot sauce and the blue cheese, so decided to create my own.

What is persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

Honestly, this was one of the simplest recipes I’ve made so far. I already had grated butter waiting in the freezer and I bought blue cheese that was already crumbled. The only tricky thing was that I tried making the dough a bit more wet and then adding flour to even it out. That seemed to work well. The dough stayed soft and I believe the biscuits were more moist as a result.

So how was the biscuit?

Forgive me for my lack of modesty, but I think I truly captured the Buffalo Chicken Wing experience in a biscuit. The blue cheese and touch of ranch dressing offset the heat of the hot sauce, and the added celery seed even approximated the celery that is usually served with wings. I took these to book club and think the hot filling helped to keep the biscuits tasting fresh. How were the leftovers prepared?

There were a few left that had filling already in them, so I microwaved them briefly and that worked well. I had also put several biscuits into the freezer – before baking. I later took them out, thawed them overnight, let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes, then baked them. They did not rise quite as much as the fresh dough, but were still really good. I served those with honey butter and was delighted to find out how well the honey butter complemented the hot sauce and blue cheese.

>>>Click here for printable biscuit recipe.

>>>Click here for Buffalo Chicken Filling from Hungry Girl.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:
3 cups White Lily self-rise flour
1 tsp. Celery seed
3 T. sugar
1/4 cup butter, frozen
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the first three dry ingredients.
Grate frozen butter.
Add butter to dry ingredients and toss to coat butter pieces with flour. You do not need to “cut in” the butter at this point.
Add cheese and toss to coat.
Whisk buttermilk, hot sauce, and yogurt in a small bowl until combined.
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 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.

Pleasing Pesto Parmesan Biscuits

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Ann | 2 Comments

I used to be a much pickier eater than I am now, especially when it came to vegetables. I remember the first time someone offered me pesto pasta. I thought it would be like eating a vegetable. Spinach or something. Was I wrong about that! One bite and I was hooked. I love pesto on pasta and chicken and pizza. So why not biscuits?

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

This one is mine! I took the base from the Rich Cheesy Cheddar Herb Biscuits and tweaked it to allow the basil pesto flavor come through.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

Besides the fact that pesto just rocks, I had some leftover in my refrigerator and thought it would be fun to add it to biscuits.

What is Persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

You may have noticed that I’ve made a few biscuits that are this small rectangular shape. I’m sure I will vary it soon enough, but I just love how easy it is to cut up all of the dough at once, while it is on the parchment, and slide the whole thing into the oven. The opposite of persnickety, really.

I do like to freeze the shortening. One thing about shortening compared to butter is that it is still workable when frozen. Just colder. You can’t grate it like butter, but you can easily work it into the dough. I tried to work really quickly and not worry about making the little shortening/butter bits too small. They were more flat than round, which I think helped to make the biscuits a little more flaky.

So how was the biscuit?

Incredibly flavorful. The basil and parmesan were perfectly incorporated into the flaky biscuit that was soft and moist inside.

How were the leftover biscuits prepared?

Leftovers? What leftovers?

>>>Click here for printable recipe.

Pleasing Pesto Parmesan Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups White Lily self-rise flour
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup butter flavored Crisco shortening, frozen
¼ cup basil pesto
¾ – 1 cup buttermilk
Shredded parmesan to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients.
Cut shortening into small pieces and add to dry ingredients. Rub between your fingers or cut in using pastry cutter or two knives. Work quickly so that shortening does not get warm.
Add pesto, again using your fingers to incorporate but don’t worry about blending perfectly.
Make a well in the center and add 3/4 cup buttermilk. Mix quickly with large spoon or hands. 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. Press dough together quickly and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Fold dough in half. A pastry scraper can be really helpful here to lift up the dough. Flatten dough again to about 1/2-3/4 inch.
Transfer dough to parchment paper. Press out again if needed. 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. Sprinkle tops of biscuits with shredded parmesan and a little more pepper if you like.
Put cookie sheet in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops of biscuits are slightly browned.
Remove from oven, let rest a few minutes, then break apart and eat!
Share with someone you love.

Rich Cheesy Cheddar Herb Biscuits

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Ann | 4 Comments

This is when things start getting fun! I had learned some biscuit lessons along the way and was ready to really put them into practice with this new recipe.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

This one is mine! I was inspired by a few different recipes – the most influential was this one from Bon Appetit.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

I had family in town and a friend was having a bad week and, well, I thought I should make them all some biscuits. Nothing says “I love you” like a rich, buttery, cheesy biscuit, right?

What is Persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

In some ways, I think this recipe is easier than many. You have to remember to freeze the butter – that must be done ahead of time. And grating the butter is a little persnickety. It is hard to hold onto a stick of butter to grate it! But once that is done, putting everything together is really easy. You don’t have to cut the butter in or wonder if you are working fast enough or if your butter is starting to melt too much. It is already the perfect size, so you just toss it with the dry ingredients.

I have to admit, I got the butter freezing idea from that first biscuit recipe. The Tupeolo Honey one. Remember that? I decided that was an idea I could definitely salvage from that recipe.

The other thing to note is the way the whole piece of dough was put onto the parchment before it was cut out. How much easier is it to cut the biscuits out in place and then just slide the whole thing into the oven? I also really love making these little biscuits. They are almost bite-sized and I can have a couple of them without feeling like I’m going to gain a million pounds in a weekend.

So how was the biscuit?

Is it too immodest if I say “wow”? Honestly, they were really good. Moist, cheesy, with just enough herb and garlic flavor to make them perfect all by themselves. No butter was required for these little gems.

How were the leftover biscuits prepared?

I reheated them in the microwave and also toasted them. Very good, of course. I mean, how could buttery rich cheesy cheddar herb biscuits not be good when toasted?

I also was going to try a new freeze, thaw, rest, bake thing. I put a small piece of cut out dough into the freezer. The idea (from that Bon Appetit recipe) was to thaw them overnight in the fridge, let them rest for 20 minutes at room temp, then bake. But I got impatient and just pulled them out of the freezer and put them into the oven. They still baked up pretty well, just did not rise as much. Oh well. Another time I’ll follow those directions and let you know how they turn out.

>>>Click here for printable recipe.

Cheddar Cheesy Herb Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups White Lily self-rise flour
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. Mrs Dash original (or any combo of herbs you like)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup butter, frozen
3/4 – 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix all dry ingredients.
Grate cheddar if not using pre-shredded.
Grate frozen butter.
Add butter to dry ingredients and toss to coat butter pieces with flour. You do not need to “cut in” the butter at this point.
Add cheese and toss to coat.
Make a well in the center and add 3/4 cup buttermilk. Mix quickly with large spoon or hands. 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. Press dough together quickly and flatten to about 1/2 inch. Fold dough in half. A pastry scraper can be really helpful here to lift up the dough. Sprinkle board, hands and top of dough with flour again. Flatten and fold again. Flatten to about 1/2-3/4 inch.
Transfer dough to parchment paper. Press out again if needed. 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 12-15 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.
Remove from oven, let rest a few minutes, then break apart and eat!
Share with someone you love.

Bacon, Brown Sugar Biscuits, Oh My!

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Ann | Leave a comment

If only for tonight, I feel like I have made it as a Biscuit Maker. Tomorrow or the next day or next week I may try another recipe, another biscuit, and be disappointed. All I know is that the Bacon Brown Sugar Biscuits I baked tonight put me into a whole new category.

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

The recipe comes from a post by Joy the Baker. She has many other great biscuit recipes that I can’t wait to try!

Sorry – no orderly arrangement of ingredients here. This is how I bake.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

Um. Bacon and brown sugar. I was ready for a biscuit that would knock my socks off. And um, did I mention the bacon? Actually, I had seen several biscuit recipes that called for bacon, but most of them have onion in them as well. That sounds good and I’m sure I’ll try that, but the brown sugar idea is what got me. I love sweet and salty together.

What is Persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

One thing I thought interesting is that this recipe calls for an egg. Before I actually started the baking of biscuits and was still just in research mode, I put together a spreadsheet of biscuit recipe ingredients from different sources. Yes, I am that person. I only found one that had an egg. I’m not sure what the egg does. Holds the ingredients together better? Makes them more moist? If you know, please comment and tell me!

The bacon all by itself was something special. Baked in the oven, sprinkled with brown sugar and black pepper. Oh my goodness. I may never cook bacon any other way.

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

The only changes I made were cooking the bacon the night before and adding a sprinkle of extra pepper and sea salt on the top prior to baking. The pepper in the recipe is a really nice compliment to the sweet and salty.

Before going in the oven…

What would I do differently next time? Probably cut the bacon up into smaller pieces. That’s about it.

So how was the biscuit?

The sounds we made while eating these were almost embarrassing. They were that good. They may not be the prettiest biscuits I’ve ever made but WOW they were good. The perfect blend of sweet, salty, smokey, and peppery.

How were the leftover biscuits prepared?

We reheated them in the microwave – just wrap a damp paper towel around a biscuit and nuke it for about 10 seconds. Let it sit for about 20 seconds, then eat!

I also toasted them because I have this thing about toasted biscuits. Wonderful!

Toasted

I think they would probably also be good as a sandwich, like a BLT with the bacon already in the biscuit, but am not sure I can keep enough of them around to find out. They are that good.

Grapefruit Biscuits

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Ann | 2 Comments

Mmm… citrus, butter, sugar – a lovely combination.

Why choose this biscuit recipe?

My mother gave me a bunch of grapefruit! I remembered seeing the Grapefruit Biscuits recipe and figured it was now or never….

Where did this biscuit recipe come from?

I originally saw a recipe for Grapefruit Biscuits while browsing at The Southern Festival of books in Nashville – it was in Farm Fresh Southern Cooking. That recipe uses grapefruit juice instead of buttermilk. I love grapefruit and made a note to look them up again later. This is the recipe I found when I Googled. I went with the second one because it called for both grapefruit zest and juice. I think you need both to actually get the grapefruit flavor.

What is Persnickety about this biscuit recipe?

I do not understand all of the chemistry of cooking but believe that the grapefruit juice provides the acid normally provided by the buttermilk to interact with the baking powder, allowing the biscuits to rise.

Grapefruit Zest and Sugar

Also, while I used butter in this recipe, you could easily substitute vegetable shortening and make these vegan.

So how was the biscuit?

When I made these, I ate a biscuit straight from the oven (of course!). It was lovely. Fluffy, moist, slightly sweet. But I could not taste the grapefruit at all. I was kind of disappointed by that. The next day I toasted one and found that there was a very light citrus flavor. It was quite nice. I wonder if the flavor intensifies over time, but they did not last long enough for me to be sure!

What would you do differently next time?
More grapefruit zest! If I’m going to put grapefruit into a biscuit, I’d like to taste it.

The Persnickety Biscuit

One Day at a Time, One Biscuit at a Time

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