Monday, April 6, 2009

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

I happened to have an abundance of buttermilk in my fridge due to Target not having a smaller container in stock. I did not want to let it go to waste so I decided to make some buttermilk biscuits with it. I searched around for different recipes and then decided on this one because I was intrigued with the flaky layers.


These biscuits turned out perfect and flaky just like the recipe said it would. Although there was lots of rolling and folding the recipe did not really take that long to make. The end result was a moist flaky biscuit that would be delicious spread with butter or jam or oven downing in sausage gravy.


Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Source: Cook's Illustrated

-makes 12 biscuits -

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus additional flour for work surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, lightly floured and cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk , cold

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
2. Add shortening to flour mixture; break up chunks with fingertips until only small, pea-sized pieces remain. Working in batches, drop butter slices into flour mixture and toss to coat; pick up each slice of butter and press between floured fingertips into flat, nickel-sized pieces. Repeat until all butter is incorporated; toss to combine. Freeze mixture (in bowl) until chilled, about 15 minutes.
3. Spray 24-inch-square area of work surface with nonstick cooking spray; spread spray evenly across surface with kitchen towel or paper towel. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of extra flour across sprayed area; gently spread flour across work surface with palm to form thin, even coating. Add all but 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to flour mixture; stir briskly with fork until ball forms and no dry bits of flour are visible, adding remaining buttermilk as needed (dough will be sticky and shaggy but should clear sides of bowl). With rubber spatula, transfer dough onto center of prepared work surface, dust surface lightly with flour, and, with floured hands, bring dough together into cohesive ball.
4. Pat dough into approximate 10-inch square; roll into 18 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, dusting dough and rolling pin with flour as needed. Following illustrations below, using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, fold dough into thirds, brushing any excess flour from surface; lift short end of dough and fold in thirds again to form approximate 6 by 4-inch rectangle. Rotate dough 90 degrees, dusting work surface underneath with flour; roll and fold dough again, dusting with flour as needed.
5. Roll dough into 10-inch square about 1/2 inch thick; flip dough and cut nine 3-inch rounds with floured biscuit cutter, dipping cutter back into flour after each cut. Carefully invert and transfer rounds to ungreased baking sheet, spaced 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps into ball; roll and fold once or twice until scraps form smooth dough. Roll dough into 1/2-inch-thick round; cut three more 3-inch rounds and transfer to baking sheet. Discard excess dough.
6. Brush biscuit tops with melted butter. Bake, without opening oven door, until tops are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

17 comments:

Erin said...

These look great! I love a good, flaky biscuit!

Anonymous said...

Pillsbury look out! Amber's come to town :)

Anonymous said...

I could CERTAINLY go for about six of these right now!! Biscuits are my FAVORITE!!!

Liz K said...

They look so good! I think I'll make them sometime this week as I have buttermilk to use as well.

Anonymous said...

Those layers look amazing! Biscuits are tricky for me...they often turn out like rocks :(

Mary Ellen said...

These are beautiful!! I wish I liked to bake...

Christy said...

These biscuits look fantastic!! I love all the flaky layers!! This is going to be a "must try"-my family will LOVE them. Thanks for sharing another winner!

Anonymous said...

Wow, those are some of the flakiest looking biscuits I have ever seen!

MrsSchoon said...

These look great...as always!

Jessica said...

Those look perfect!!

Maria said...

homemade biscuits are the best!

Anonymous said...

Those look perfect for a hearty soup too! Yum!

Chelle said...

Oh gosh, these look so high and flaky! Gorgeous! Can't wait to try them!

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Although I prefer my biscuits fluffy, these look SO delicious!

Amber said...

Those look amazing!

katie said...

Hey, I just made these biscuits from your blog! DELICIOUS and PERFECTION. Thanks!

Callie said...

These were absolutely divine. I was so excited to see that the flaky layers turned out. I was sure that mine would be little floury blobs. I loved this recipe. If you don't mind, I'm going to repost and give you credit on my blog: oncallcook.blogspot.com. Thanks again! I love your blog. :)