September 21, 2015

perfect buttermilk biscuits

While I was pregnant with William, David and I went on a "babymoon" to Hood River, Oregon. We stayed at a sweet little bed + breakfast called Seven Oaks. It was such a charming place and they really lived up to their breakfast promise. We had eggs from their chickens that roamed the beautiful yard and there was fresh-pressed apple cider at the table, but the biscuits were the show-stopper for me. After raving about their deliciousness, I asked the owner for the recipe. She copied the recipe for me but the measurements part of the recipe got cut off and I didn't notice until we were home. Since then, I've tried to figure out how to make great biscuits without too much work. These are perfect. Light, buttery, flaky and perfectly crunchy on the top and bottom.

These are "no-roll and no-cut" biscuits. They don't look perfect but they taste perfect! One thing about these is, you need a food processor (for a multitude of reasons). I can't vouch for how these turn out unless you use one. However, I've read that you can grate the butter using a large cheese grater and achieve similar results (just make sure the butter is very cold). The goal is to get the butter cut into flour mixture with very small pieces.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (or 7/8 cup AP flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
2 tablespoons cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Evenly distribute the butter on top of the flour mixture and pulse about 12-14 times until the butter is in very small pieces (like the size of peas).

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the buttermilk (or milk + vinegar - just let sit for 5 minutes to thicken) and stir gently until combined and the sides of the bowl are clean. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and form into an oblong shape (doesn't have to be perfect).

Using a bench scraper, or sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 equal portions. Lightly round the corners if desired (don't roll in your hands or over-handle - you want them to show the layers where you cut it). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and, using a pastry brush, brush the tops with cream.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, on the middle rack of the oven, until lightly browned on the top.
Little Fritzy hands loved them! They were especially delicious with raspberry jam (this brand is my favorite)!

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