Buttermilk Biscuits

[jeff]

Since HOK isnt large enough yet to have it's own baking forum Im going to place this recipe here under bread.

I've tried a few different recipes and I tend to like this one, I got this recipe from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show...,00.html">good eats</a>
Most recipes are super close to each other so this how to should work the same for any other recipe you find out there.

This recipe should make 10-12 biscuits.

10oz flour (about 2 cups flour)
1 TBS and 1 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8oz (1 cup) of butter milk
1oz cold butter
2oz shortening

You do have a food scale right? Items like flour should always be weighed when used for baking.

Preheat oven to 400o

Mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
Then using your finger tips, mix in the cold butter and shortening, just use your finger tips and work the butter/shortening in. When you're done it should look kind of like corn mill, slightly chunky, not smooth. Once your fat (aka butter/shortening) are mixed in. Make a well out of the dry ingredients, and pour the butter milk into the middle. work the butter milk in using your finger tips, be careful not to over work the dough.
You want to work the dough till you have a nice sticky and somewhat wet dough.

Flour your counter top, then place your dough on the counter, the idea is to fold the dough at least 5-6 times with out over working it. lightly push the dough down so it forms a round shape about 1" thick, then fold, repeat till you fold 5-6 times.

Once that's done, press the dough out so it's a 1" thick. using a 2 1/4" big biscuit cutter, push straight down till it hits the counter, once the cutter meets with the counter give it a slight twist, then pull it up. if you do no push straight down, or if you turn the cutter while pushing down, you will press the sides of the biscuits together, if this happens the biscuits will not rise properly.
Once you get all the biscuits you can out of your first batch, you can just grab your trash (aka left over dough) and form it into yet another 1" thick piece of dough, again cutting by pushing straight down then turning.

Once you use up all your dough (should net around 10-12 biscuits) place the biscuits on a NON nonstick aluminum pan. that's right, do not use nonstick! if you do you'll just burn the bottoms of your biscuits. (notice how even cooked my biscuit bottoms are?)

When placing your biscuits on your baking pan, you should place them side by side so they're just barely touching each other. (see pictures)
Also, a step I forgot to show in the pictures, take your thumb and lightly push down the middles of the biscuits. this will make for a more even biscuit once the centers of the biscuits rise.

Place in your 400o heated oven for about 15 minutes. You're looking for a nice golden color.

Make sure you leave a few biscuits left over for the next day. You want to crack them open, put butter on top of them and slide them under the broiler. (see last picture) YUM!

[jeff]

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[jeff]

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[nperkins]

:drool:... I should go get some shortening and make some...