Jump to content

Biscuits


DanCole42

Recommended Posts

There are few things more comforting and homey than the taste and smell of fresh baked bread. Many of us, however, don't have the time (or the patience) for the lengthly preparations involved in starters, proofing, rising, wrangling wild yeast, etc.

For the hurried and harried Type As like us who just want some good, home baked carbs without the fuss 'n' muss, there are biscuits.

My biscuit recipe:

Eyeball some flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Add some slightly softened butter. Cut the butter into the dry stuff with two knives, then really work it in by hand. Maybe use a little olive oil. Then add enough milk (skim, in my case) until it becomes "doughy." Roll out, cut into circles, plop onto a cookie sheet and toss into a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

My favorite thing to do with biscuits, though, is to -ate them. That is, add unique flavor specks. For example, adding lemon zest makes "lemonated" biscuits (delish). Adding saffron makes "saffronated biscuits" (not so delish).

Of note in my recipe is the use of baking powder instead of the more "traditional" mix of buttermilk and baking soda.

So what are people's THOUGHTS on biscuits? Do you have a favorite recipe or technique? How do you "-ate" your biscuits?

I'm not just looking for down home Southern vittles here. If your grandma makes the best biscuits in the world, share! If you've reverse engineered the "Andouille sausagated biscuits" at Ray's the Classics (so moist and flaky!), share!

I LOVE BISCUITS!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are few things more comforting and homey than the taste and smell of fresh baked bread. Many of us, however, don't have the time (or the patience) for the lengthly preparations involved in starters, proofing, rising, wrangling wild yeast, etc.

For the hurried and harried Type As like us who just want some good, home baked carbs without the fuss 'n' muss, there are biscuits.

My biscuit recipe:

Eyeball some flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Add some slightly softened butter. Cut the butter into the dry stuff with two knives, then really work it in by hand. Maybe use a little olive oil. Then add enough milk (skim, in my case) until it becomes "doughy." Roll out, cut into circles, plop onto a cookie sheet and toss into a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

r

My favorite thing to do with biscuits, though, is to -ate them. That is, add unique flavor specks. For example, adding lemon zest makes "lemonated" biscuits (delish). Adding saffron makes "saffronated biscuits" (not so delish).

Of note in my recipe is the use of baking powder instead of the more "traditional" mix of buttermilk and baking soda.

So what are people's THOUGHTS on biscuits? Do you have a favorite recipe or technique? How do you "-ate" your biscuits?

I'm not just looking for down home Southern vittles here. If your grandma makes the best biscuits in the world, share! If you've reverse engineered the "Andouille sausagated biscuits" at Ray's the Classics (so moist and flaky!), share!

I LOVE BISCUITS!!!

Mrs Bioesq here - biscuit expert (won blue ribbon at the state fair) taught by farmer's wives when i was in 4-H. Butter needs to be at room temperature to get the proper rising. Oven needs to be at 450 to make them light and fluffy - the combination of room temperature butter and a hot oven makes the science work perfectly and the air expands in such a way that they achieve layers of perfection. But I do agree that biscuits are the perfect comfort food. Perfect with butter, fried eggs, sausage gravy or jam. Who could ask for anything more perfect.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrs Bioesq here - biscuit expert (won blue ribbon at the state fair) taught by farmer's wives when i was in 4-H. Butter needs to be at room temperature to get the proper rising. Oven needs to be at 450 to make them light and fluffy - the combination of room temperature butter and a hot oven makes the science work perfectly and the air expands in such a way that they achieve layers of perfection. But I do agree that biscuits are the perfect comfort food. Perfect with butter, fried eggs, sausage gravy or jam. Who could ask for anything more perfect.
Light and fluffy is good... but how do you ensure that a biscuit is MOIST?

Also, should biscuit dough be kneaded? I've heard conflicting reports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what are people's THOUGHTS on biscuits? Do you have a favorite recipe or technique? How do you "-ate" your biscuits?
My hunkey dorey recipe for biscuits:

2 heaping cups of stone ground flour sifted for rodent droppings, weevils and lice.

1 cup potable water

6 enthusiastic pinches of mined Kentucky salt.

Roll them out with an empty rum bottle to thickness of half of 1 inch and dock with a fork or something pointy. Bake in 400 degree hearth for an hour, turning over after half an hour. Bake again at 250 for 30 minutes more. They last for up to 3 years. I dunk mine in brine or mead to make the edible, and curse typhoid.

Bully!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrs. Bioesq, would you share your blue ribbon recipe? I love biscuits.
2 cups all purpose flour. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1/2 teaspon salt. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 2 teaspoons sugar. 1/2 cup butter (room temperature) and 2/3 cup of milk. Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Mix in milk. When all dry ingredients are moist, knead about 8 times. Just enough to bring it together. Pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds. Bake at 450 for 10 - 12 minutes. As a bonus - if you want to make scones reduce milk to 1/2 cup and add one egg. Pat into a 10 inch round. Cut into wedges and bake as above. For a bonus bonus - add 1/2 cup blueberries to dry ingredients before stirring in wet ingredients, sprinkle wedges with sugar and bake as above and whoever is eating breakfast with you that morning will be swooning!
Light and fluffy is good... but how do you ensure that a biscuit is MOIST?

Also, should biscuit dough be kneaded? I've heard conflicting reports.

Only very gently about 8 times or the dough will get tough - don't want to develop any gluten. If you add the egg as shown in my other post, they will always be moist.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 cups all purpose flour. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1/2 teaspon salt. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 2 teaspoons sugar. 1/2 cup butter (room temperature) and 2/3 cup of milk. Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Mix in milk. When all dry ingredients are moist, knead about 8 times. Just enough to bring it together. Pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds. Bake at 450 for 10 - 12 minutes.

On behalf of those amongst us who only cook for one/two -- How many biscuits does this produce? It looks like the recipe is easy to reduce.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On behalf of those amongst us who only cook for one/two -- How many biscuits does this produce? It looks like the recipe is easy to reduce.

Guessing, I'd say it produces about 8-10 biscuits or so.

When kneeding biscuits was first mentioned I thought to myself "No way", but then reading bioesq's description I realized that's exactly what I do :-) Basically it's only kneeded enough to make sure everything has come together. It's easy to kneed too much and then you're eating rocks.

I'll definitely agree about the butter, it needs to be softened if for no other reason than you'll work the bejesus out of the flour working the butter into it if it's not softened. I've never tried using knives, usually use a, umm... cutter? I honestly have no idea of what other use the thing has than cutting butter into flour for biscuits :-) It's basically a handle with 4-5 semi-circular metal bars that have an edge but aren't sharp. If I don't have one of those handy a fork will do, dragging the fork hard through the bowl to really cut the butter into the flour. I was always taught by my parents that getting the butter cut into the flour was the toughest part.

I learned to make biscuits from my dad, who uses recipes for very few things. The flour, salt, baking powder, and butter I could always handle as it's not an exact science to start with and I could always add a pinch more of whatever to get it just right. But not being able to say "add 1/2 cup milk" always vexed me. If I added too much milk I couldn't very well just add a pinch more of everything else to get it right. So I ended up adding milk little by little and it took forever, making the biscuits harder than they should have been. It took a couple years but I finally got the hang of it :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On behalf of those amongst us who only cook for one/two -- How many biscuits does this produce? It looks like the recipe is easy to reduce.

Another great thing about biscuit dough is that you can freeze them after you cut them into rounds. Pop in the oven frozen and just add a bit to the cooking time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never tried using knives, usually use a, umm... cutter? I honestly have no idea of what other use the thing has than cutting butter into flour for biscuits :-) It's basically a handle with 4-5 semi-circular metal bars that have an edge but aren't sharp.
A pastry blender. :)Click to see a fancy one. (And it can also be used when making pie crust.)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Cutting butter is definetely the hardest part. :)

bioesq - what's the function of the cream of tartar in the recipe?

So far we've talked all about using butter. What about using other fats in conjunction with or instead of butter? I've used EVOO (although the flavor was a bit bitter), and I know a real down-home, slow-cookin' Texan girl who uses Crisco, which results in a biscuit that's almost like a dinner roll.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Cutting butter is definetely the hardest part. :)

bioesq - what's the function of the cream of tartar in the recipe?

So far we've talked all about using butter. What about using other fats in conjunction with or instead of butter? I've used EVOO (although the flavor was a bit bitter), and I know a real down-home, slow-cookin' Texan girl who uses Crisco, which results in a biscuit that's almost like a dinner roll.

Crisco sucks. If anything you should use some good lard. EVOO will not provide the flakiness as the fat needs to be solid at room temp and stay in chunks.

As for the cream of tartar, I will leave that for you to research and get back to us. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A pastry blender. :)Click to see a fancy one. (And it can also be used when making pie crust.)

Yep, that's the thing. So now at least I know what it's called :-)

bioesq - what's the function of the cream of tartar in the recipe?

One thing I've seen cream of tartar used for is to make buttermilk out of milk. Could be the function it's serving here, though usually for that you need to let the milk sit for a couple minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Cutting butter is definetely the hardest part. :)
Don't tell anyone I told you this, but 5 pulses in a food prcessor does a respectable job.
So far we've talked all about using butter. What about using other fats in conjunction with or instead of butter?
I use half butter and half crisco or lard, buttermilk instead of milk, a combo of baking powder and baking soda, and no sugar.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You won't get the flakiness of "real" biscuits, but if you are in a hurry and don't want to deal with the butter...

Cream Biscuits

Makes eight 2½” biscuits

Easy and quick to throw together. To tweak, toss in various flavorings with the dry ingredients. Such as: 2 tablespoons minced herbs, ½ cup grated cheese or 3 tablespoons minced candied ginger.

For the lightest, fluffiest biscuits, be careful not to over-mix, keep the dough as wet and soft as you can stand it and bake them immediately after mixing and cutting.

2 cups bleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups heavy cream

Adjust an oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (along with any other flavoring you’ll be using) in a medium bowl. Add the 1¼ cups cream and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms ball, ~30 seconds. Transfer the dough from the bowl to a countertop, leaving all the dry, floury bits behind in bowl. In 1 tablespoon increments, add up to ¼ cup cream to dry bits in the bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon after each addition, until they are all moistened. Add these moistened bits to rest of dough and knead gently by hand just until smooth, ~30 seconds.

Gently pat the dough into a circle ~½“-thick. Cut the biscuits into rounds or wedges. Place the rounds or wedges on the prepared half-sheet pan and bake until the biscuits are golden brown, ~15 to 20 minutes (if you add cheese, they’ll take a little longer to bake), rotating pan halfway through baking. Allow the biscuits to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from a "Cooks Illustrated" recipe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for the cream of tartar, I will leave that for you to research and get back to us. :)
Cream of tartar (which is a byproduct of wine making), fills the role of the all-important ACID which, when combined with the BASE that is baking SODA, produces the CO2 necessary in the rising of quickbreads.

Basically when you use cream of tartar and baking soda in a recipe, you're making your own baking POWDER.

Now, my question is, why would you want to use cream of tartar/baking soda instead of just using storebought baking powder?

My understanding was that you would use baking soda when the acid component was already present in the dough (such as the acid from buttermilk, chocolate, citrus, etc.). Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. Cutting butter is definetely the hardest part. :)

bioesq - what's the function of the cream of tartar in the recipe?

So far we've talked all about using butter. What about using other fats in conjunction with or instead of butter? I've used EVOO (although the flavor was a bit bitter), and I know a real down-home, slow-cookin' Texan girl who uses Crisco, which results in a biscuit that's almost like a dinner roll.

EVOO in biscuits is just wrong. That kind of thinking leads to polenta at breakfast instead of grits! :)

My Alabama grandmother, who probably made biscuits every morning of her life between 1940 and 1990, always used crisco. This may have been an economic consideration: they were not well off and butter was a luxury. She used buttermilk, as well, and for many years we ate honey from the hives grandpa kept. These are, needless to say, my benchmark biscuits.

There is also much to be said, however, for Bisquick mixed with water, balled up and dropped into a frying pan, preferably one located over a campfire at least 10 miles or five thousand verticle feet from the nearest road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EVOO will not provide the flakiness as the fat needs to be solid at room temp and stay in chunks.
This seems to be in conflict with others' insistence that the butter be at room temperature; room-temperature butter will not stay in chunks. In making pâte brisée, which is the fancy name for pie crust, all the leading authorities ordain that the butter must be very cold in order to produce a flaky result. How does room-temperature butter produce a flaky biscuit, then?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This seems to be in conflict with others' insistence that the butter be at room temperature; room-temperature butter will not stay in chunks. In making pâte brisée, which is the fancy name for pie crust, all the leading authorities ordain that the butter must be very cold in order to produce a flaky result. How does room-temperature butter produce a flaky biscuit, then?

A flaky biscuit and a flaky pie crust have very different textures. In fact, I think "fluffy" is what they meant to say vis-a-vis biscuits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A flaky biscuit and a flaky pie crust have very different textures. In fact, I think "fluffy" is what they meant to say vis-a-vis biscuits.
When I use the term "flaky" I'm referring to how some biscuits appear from the outside to almost be layered like shale.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I use the term "flaky" I'm referring to how some biscuits appear from the outside to almost be layered like shale.
And I would think that what would produce such a result would be the same thing at work in pâte feuilletée (and in pie crust), which is distinct bits of butter that are cold when the dough goes into the oven. But I don't make biscuits, so I could be all wet.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I would think that what would produce such a result would be the same thing at work in pâte feuilletée (and in pie crust), which is distinct bits of butter that are cold when the dough goes into the oven. But I don't make biscuits, so I could be all wet.
I chill the flour, and the fat before working it into the flour, and use very cold buttermilk. Makes the tall, layered results as seen in the photo I linked to.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It appears that there are two schools here, then: A Cold Butter school and a Room-Temperature Butter school. Perhaps when I have some time I'll try making biscuits both ways and compare the results. My intuition or whatever it is certainly tells me that whenever you're going to cut butter into flour with a pastry blender, you want the butter to be cold. But the folks here who aren't merely saying that room-temperature butter works, but that it is essential to a good result have presumably formed their views as a result of experience. Empirical research is certainly called for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It appears that there are two schools here, then: A Cold Butter school and a Room-Temperature Butter school. Perhaps when I have some time I'll try making biscuits both ways and compare the results. My intuition or whatever it is certainly tells me that whenever you're going to cut butter into flour with a pastry blender, you want the butter to be cold. But the folks here who aren't merely saying that room-temperature butter works, but that it is essential to a good result have presumably formed their views as a result of experience. Empirical research is certainly called for.
And would one achieve the same result working with room temperature ingredients, and then simply chilling the dough before cooking?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And would one achieve the same result working with room temperature ingredients, and then simply chilling the dough before cooking?

Not at all. When the butter is cold before cutting into the flour it is easier to keep the chunks larger in size and from blending with the butter. The more large pieces that you have in your dough, the more flaky your crust will be.

If you work with warm(er) butter then it more easily blends with the butter (think brisée) and you lose out on the large chunks. No amount of chilling is going to create large chunks of butter from smaller ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And would one achieve the same result working with room temperature ingredients, and then simply chilling the dough before cooking?
No, that won't result in the small pieces of fat throughout the dough. In c-school and the bakery I worked in, the rule for a layered flaky result was chilling the fat before working it in, and chilling the dough before baking. My biscuit dough goes in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before being cut, the into a very hot oven.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm kinda fascinated by the fact that the recipes posted here call for all-purpose flour, well into an era when Shirley Corriher has steered most of the pundits toward pushing soft, soft flour for Southern biscuits.

So how about it? Do they come out better if you use White Lily instead of your King Arthur?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm kinda fascinated by the fact that the recipes posted here call for all-purpose flour, well into an era when Shirley Corriher has steered most of the pundits toward pushing soft, soft flour for Southern biscuits.

So how about it? Do they come out better if you use White Lily instead of your King Arthur?

Depends on how much restraint you have in working your dough. :) The soft, soft flours have a lower amount of protein that makes it harder to produce the gluten.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So how about it? Do they come out better if you use White Lily instead of your King Arthur?
Yes. :)

And (to expand on Heather's comment), if I don't have any White Lily, I use all-purpose bleached flour, then non-King Arthur all-purpose flour (which I pretty much never have on hand), then King Arthur all-purpose flour (which is higher in protein than most AP flours).

But, like mdt wrote, a light touch can have a huge affect if using a higher-protein flour and the differences in texture when using the various flours can be quite subtle. Not sure if you could notice if not doing a side-by-side comparison (yes, that was a very good morning in our household :) ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are flours that are ideal for biscuits due to the composition, made from soft white Southern wheat. All purpose flour and bread flour are much harder, pastry flour is too soft.

White Lily is probably the most famous. Indeed, generations of southern biscuit makers will accept no substitute. Many prefer the self-rising, which is good for biscuits, but I just use the regular. Another brand is Martha White.

I have read that you can make a substitute for White Lily by replacing 2T of all purpose flour per cup with 2T cornstarch, but never tried this.

I do something that is very, very bad, but also very, very good -- brush the tops of the biscuits using melted butter before baking, and after baking. If you do this before baking, you may need to use a pan with a lip, because the melted butter will drip unless you were very, very careful.

Or you can just dip the biscuits in melted butter so both sides get buttered, but then you definitely need a pan with a lip.

Popeye's biscuits are dipped, although they don't use butter, just butter flavored grease.

Buttermilk is a classic ingredient, the acid in the buttermilk will interact with the baking powder to make the biscuits rise higher. But cream is a classic ingredient, too.

Crisco is the Southern "standard" but I use butter, cold butter, and the food processor to mix the dry ingredients. I have to "eyeball" the liquid, as this is the hardest part to get right. (The right amount is when the dough isn't sticky.) Mixing in the liquid gets done in a bowl, with a fork. Pat out on a cutting board or a pastry cloth and you won't need to use but a little bit of flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 cups all purpose flour. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1/2 teaspon salt. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 2 teaspoons sugar. 1/2 cup butter (room temperature) and 2/3 cup of milk. Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Mix in milk. When all dry ingredients are moist, knead about 8 times. Just enough to bring it together. Pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds. Bake at 450 for 10 - 12 minutes.
Made the biscuits last night. Wow! THIS is what I'm looking for... almost. I'm still not getting the MOISTNESS I want. Am I overcooking them?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made the biscuits last night. Wow! THIS is what I'm looking for... almost. I'm still not getting the MOISTNESS I want. Am I overcooking them?
What you perceive as "dryness" may simply be hardness. I decided to try to find you a place to buy White Lily flour, which I always stock up on during trips further South. Can't remember seeing it further north than Fredericksburg, VA.

First place I tried, Food Lion, which is where I look for funkier stuff such as pickling supplies, didn't have White Lily but did have Martha White, made from the same wheat variety, Southern white wheat, low in gluten so has a softer texture.

What you have to know about the designation "all purpose" when it comes to biscuit recipes, is that they don't mean Gold Medal or Pillsbury or King Arthur, all made from harder red wheat, more gluten, better for bread.

They mean, "it's not self-rising". Self-rising flour has the baking soda and a little salt added and can only be used for "hot breads" like biscuits. All purpose Martha White is exactly the same as self-rising Martha White only it doesn't have "hot rize".

A five pound bag of Martha White's, either way, is $1.79 at the Food Lion in Chantilly.

After thinking about biscuits over the past few days, I've decided to make my next batch with Crisco. I have some sticks of butter flavored Crisco that I use in pie dough if the recipe calls for vegetable shortening. I keep it in the freezer and it seems to last forever. Pie doughs made with all butter shrink. This may be a flour issue, as well, I don't always have pastry flour on hand.

BTW -- biscuits ain't health food. At least, not the fluffy white biscuits you seem to be dreaming of. They are high in calories, low on nutrients, but they give you "the strength to do what needs to be done."

(As for overcooking -- maybe. Also, maybe overworking the dough, which activates the gluten. You need a light touch to make light biscuits.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What you perceive as "dryness" may simply be hardness. I decided to try to find you a place to buy White Lily flour, which I always stock up on during trips further South. Can't remember seeing it further north than Fredericksburg, VA.

First place I tried, Food Lion, which is where I look for funkier stuff such as pickling supplies, didn't have White Lily but did have Martha White, made from the same wheat variety, Southern white wheat, low in gluten so has a softer texture.

I believe I have seen both White Lily and Martha White at Harris Teeter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 cups all purpose flour. 4 teaspoons baking powder. 1/2 teaspon salt. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 2 teaspoons sugar. 1/2 cup butter (room temperature) and 2/3 cup of milk. Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Mix in milk. When all dry ingredients are moist, knead about 8 times. Just enough to bring it together. Pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds. Bake at 450 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Bioesq- I made these the other night. Amazing! I've been inspired to register for a pastry cutter for my wedding.

God I love biscuits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bioesq- I made these the other night. Amazing! I've been inspired to register for a pastry cutter for my wedding.
When you say "pastry cutter", I assume you mean what I call a pastry blender--the thing you use to cut butter or other shortening into flour. You haven't asked for pastry blender (or cutter) advice, but I'll give some anyway. There are two principal types of pastry blenders, one with sort of "wires" and one with sort of "blades". You should get the blade type; they're much better than the wire type.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you say "pastry cutter", I assume you mean what I call a pastry blender--the thing you use to cut butter or other shortening into flour. You haven't asked for pastry blender (or cutter) advice, but I'll give some anyway. There are two principal types of pastry blenders, one with sort of "wires" and one with sort of "blades". You should get the blade type; they're much better than the wire type.
See, I THOUGHT it was called a pastry blender. Wherever I registered refered to it as a CUTTER. I hope that doesn't speak to the crapiness of their product, because I DID order the blade type. :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been inspired to register for a pastry cutter for my wedding.
Nothing you can do with a pastry cutter/blender that you can't do with either a fork or a food processor. If your fork can't do it, the food processor will.

OTOH -- I was married too long ago to comprehend modern trends in wedding registries. Back then, you registered for stuff you couldn't afford -- china, crystal, sterling. At $5 a pop, a pastry cutter/blender would have only been a gag gift.

Heck, I'd happily give you mine -- if I still have it. Haven't used it in decades. Not since I got the Cuisinart. Now that is a wedding gift worth giving -- and receiving.

But maybe y'all already have one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing you can do with a pastry cutter/blender that you can't do with either a fork or a food processor. If your fork can't do it, the food processor will.

OTOH -- I was married too long ago to comprehend modern trends in wedding registries. Back then, you registered for stuff you couldn't afford -- china, crystal, sterling. At $5 a pop, a pastry cutter/blender would have only been a gag gift.

Heck, I'd happily give you mine -- if I still have it. Haven't used it in decades. Not since I got the Cuisinart. Now that is a wedding gift worth giving -- and receiving.

But maybe y'all already have one.

Not much has changed... you're still supposed to register for mostly bigger-than-you'd-buy-on-your-own items. Sadly, my kitchen was so well stocked to begin with that it made finding stuff to register for difficult! I already have a great Cuisinart. So, under pressure from the bride and my mother to "put more stuff on your registry so people know what to buy you," I registered for a ton of little things like a pastry blender, pink salt, tahitian vanilla, exotic oils and spices, nice ice cream scoops, a silicon mat, etc. Little things that people can put in a gift basket if they wanted to; things I don't NEED and wouldn't buy on my own, but would be happy to have.

Thanks for the offer, though! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing you can do with a pastry cutter/blender that you can't do with either a fork or a food processor.
Yes, and you can drive nails with a wrench, too. :) Using an ordinary fork for this purpose is a lot more work than using a pastry blender, and will probably yield a less regular result. A food processor, on the other hand, can do the job with almost no work at all (other than cleaning the damned thing afterwards), but the novice must be very careful to avoid over-blending, which can happen in a couple of seconds with the food processor and is almost impossible with a pastry blender.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm tagging this on here, because I think it's fundamentally the most useful here. Anybody know a local source (not internet-based) for White Lily flour in MoCo? I'm thinking about trying the new Harris Teeter up Darnestown way (rte. 28?), but if would prefer a sure bet over a long drive that may leave me empty-handed.

If no known source, is it better to use cake flour in place of KA unbleached AP flour when making biscuits, a mix of the two? Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm tagging this on here, because I think it's fundamentally the most useful here. Anybody know a local source (not internet-based) for White Lily flour in MoCo? I'm thinking about trying the new Harris Teeter up Darnestown way (rte. 28?), but if would prefer a sure bet over a long drive that may leave me empty-handed.

If no known source, is it better to use cake flour in place of KA unbleached AP flour when making biscuits, a mix of the two? Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks.

According to another thread, Dean & Deluca carries it.

I should have paid closer attention. You asked about Montogomery County. Don't know about there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm tagging this on here, because I think it's fundamentally the most useful here. Anybody know a local source (not internet-based) for White Lily flour in MoCo? I'm thinking about trying the new Harris Teeter up Darnestown way (rte. 28?), but if would prefer a sure bet over a long drive that may leave me empty-handed.

If no known source, is it better to use cake flour in place of KA unbleached AP flour when making biscuits, a mix of the two? Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks.

According to Baking 911cake flour is superior to all purpose flour for making biscuits. Never tried it, just passing it on.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If no known source, is it better to use cake flour in place of KA unbleached AP flour when making biscuits, a mix of the two? Any feedback appreciated.
Option #3: Bleached AP flour (such as Pillbury or Gold Medal). Not as low-protein as White Lily (which is also bleached), but lower than unbleached AP (especially KA, which is higher in protein than most unbleached AP flours). Bleached AP is what I use in nearly all the time for biscuits, pie crusts and crisp/tender-type cookies.

My second choice would be a mix of the KA unbleached AP and cake flour.

I'd be very interested in hearing if anyone tries/uses all cake flour in a biscuit recipe. My concern is that the biscuits would come out a bit pasty (esp. if using bleached cake flour, which most are). But I've never tried it, so... ??? Perhaps after the holidays, we can have a biscuit flour taste test. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ilaine--thanks for the link to baking 911. I have to admit, I find that site so annoying and poorly organized, I rarely go there, although she clearly has some helpful information. I'm surprised that cake flour can be substituted 1:1 for AP in biscuits. Although I suggested it as a possibility, my intuition was that it wouldn't work (for the reasons that mktye suggests). If you look at her table on the relative protein content, she says (IIRC) that cake flour ranges in protein content from 7-9%, while White Lily type flours are 9% protein. It makes me think that it really would depend on the specific cake flour.

If I were going to call all geek on this, I would (well, if I were going to go all geek, I would just flippin' get in my care and drive to D&D, but never mind that!) try to determine the % protein in my cake flour and come up with an ideal ratio to make an approximation of WL from my KA AP and the cake flour I have. I think I'll just do the eyeball estimation. [mktye, I'm not totally disregarding your suggestion, I'm trying to limit the number of special purpose flours I have in my pantry. And, i surely know that WL is probably more special purpose than bleached AP, but I think I would rather work with 2 flours I routinely have in the pantry rather than get another 5# bag of flour.]

Thanks for the feedback, and now I just need to figure out how to make biscuits. Rumour has it that santa is bringing me a set of biscuit cutters and I'm planning my xmas morning bake off now!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, in an effort to acquaint myself with various recipes and techniques for biscuits, I've now read thoroughly through this thread (ththththth). And, I've noticed one glaring absence--Heather's biscuit recipe. Heather, I can only assume that is a purposeful omission on your part? Any chance you're willing to part with it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm tagging this on here, because I think it's fundamentally the most useful here. Anybody know a local source (not internet-based) for White Lily flour in MoCo? I'm thinking about trying the new Harris Teeter up Darnestown way (rte. 28?), but if would prefer a sure bet over a long drive that may leave me empty-handed.
Every Harris Teeter I've been in carries White Lily. Balducci's also used to, although I haven't been in the one on Old Georgetown in a while so it's worth calling there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rumour has it that santa is bringing me a set of biscuit cutters and I'm planning my xmas morning bake off now!
I just use a wine glass, cuts the perfect size for me. If you want bigger biscuits, use a water glass. Or, if you want little biscuits, use a juice glass.

Recipe for buttermilk biscuits off the back of a bag of Martha White all-purpose flour (made from soft white Southern wheat, NOT self-rising):

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Heat oven to 450 F. Grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; blend well. With pastry blender or fork, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk; stir with fork until soft dough forms.

(My comment: use a light touch and don't overwork it, so you don't stimulate the formation of gluten.)

2. Turn dough out onto floured surface; sprinkle lightly with flour. With floured hands, knead [sic] dough 10 to 12 times or until no longer sticky. Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-in round cutter. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.

(My comment - it never takes me 10, much less 12, kneads to get it right. And "kneads" is the wrong word, connotes mixing bread dough. Wrong. Just place the dough ball onto the floured surface, flip it over so there's flour on the other side, squish it gently a few times until it's not gooey wet, and pat it out softly until it's flat. It shouldn't need any more mixing on the counter if you mixed it right in the bowl.)

(Also, we always brush the top with melted butter before putting into the oven, done carefully because if the butter drips onto the pan, it will melt and run into the oven and make a lot of smoke, unless you use a pan with a lip.)

3. Bake at 450 F for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 24 biscuits.

(At 450 F these puppies can go from "done" to "scorched" rather quickly so don't wander off too far. For glorious decadence, brush the tops with melted butter again. Even more decadence, dip the entire biscuit into melted butter before you bake them, and use a cookie sheet with a lip.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...