Thursday, October 4, 2012

Buttermilk Biscuits

Whenever I make Fried Chicken I makes biscuits too. But usually I just bake the Pillsbury Biscuits that you can find in the freezer section of the store.

Well... my last Fried Chicken dinner was almost ready and I was ready to bake the biscuits when I discovered that I didn't have any!

Yikes! Now what?

I figured I could make some. I don't typically have buttermilk in the house; but since I was making fried chicken, I had some. Ok... just need to find a recipe.

Ahhh... Alton Brown! He never lets me down!



Southern Biscuits
2 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 TBLS butter
2 TBLS shortening
1 C buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Ok... combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into it.


Until it looks like crumbs.


Do it fast, so you don't melt the butter and shortening.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk.


Combine just until dough comes together.




Turn the sticky dough onto floured surface.


Dust the top with flour and gently fold the dough over on itself 5 or 6 times.


You can kinda watch the sun set while I'm making the biscuits! The shadows are getting longer and longer!

Press dough into a 1 inch thick round.


Cut out biscuits with a 2 inch cutter, be sure to press straight down through the dough. I couldn't find my biscuit cutters, so I just used a can.


Place biscuits on a baking sheet so they just touch.


Reform scrap dough and cut more biscuits. Work the dough as little as possible.




Now into the oven, preheated to 450F for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're tall and golden.




Wow! These came out awesome! And they were wicked easy to make!!

Why do I buy frozen ones again??? Oh yeah... I usually don't have buttermilk... but I think I'll try to plan ahead to be ready to whip these up on a whim!

Tall and golden...


With melty butter...


Or honey...


Someone couldn't wait for dinner...


I definitely won't make Biscuits and Gravy without actually making the Biscuits from scratch!

So I was just looking to link to my Sausage Gravy recipe... and guess what?? It's not here!!

I see Biscuits & Gravy for breakfast in our very near future!

Stay tuned for the recipe!

Have some Buttermilk Biscuits while you wait!

1 comment:

Patti T. said...

For many years I thought I hated biscuits, I now think I hate bad biscuits. A good biscuit with butter AND honey is heaven. Your recipe sounds good. My hubby just loves sausage gravy and biscuits.Maybe I will surprise him with that meal for his birthday. Thank you for the inspiration.