Sunday, January 10, 2016

Howie's Buttermilk Biscuits


Hello there, it has been a long time since I posted. I hope to get back into it, as I am still cooking, I just got lazy...  

I made these biscuits yesterday, they came out light and fluffy and were so good slathered with butter and drizzled with a little honey.  I have been plotting to make biscuits for a while and had a bag of White Lily flour and there was even buttermilk in the fridge which was just about to hit the best if used by date, and as they say, timing is everything.

I love reading Carolyn Jung's, blog Foodgal, which is full of excellent recipes and inspiration.  I recently bookmarked her post about these biscuits which sounded delicious and fairly easy to make.  She said that the recipe is printed on the back of the takeout menu from Howie’s Artisan Pizzeria, so I'm just sharing it with you.

(Makes one dozen large biscuits)
6 ounces unsalted butter, cold
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold buttermilk (I added a couple of tablespoons as my dough was a little dry)
Additional flour, as needed, for working the dough

Melted butter, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter to dry ingredients. Pulse mixture until the butter pieces are about the size of a green pea.
Add the buttermilk, and using on and off pulses, process until a shaggy dough forms.
Remove the dough (including the bits of flour) to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead the dough once or twice to incorporate any loose pieces. Press dough into a rectangle approximately 1-inch thick. Portion using a 2-inch round cutter. Gather scraps and continue to cut out rounds until all the dough is used.  I like cutting the dough into squares, it is easier, and I couldn't find my biscuit cutters...
Lay biscuits on a buttered cookie tray. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 24 minutes.
If using melted butter, brush it on the tops of the biscuits as you remove them from the oven.
Enjoy warm.

From Chef-Owner Howard Bulka of Howie’s Artisan Pizzeria