January 21

Till last year, Baking anything was like an uphill task for me. I am not much fond of sweet dishes and baking 95% of the times would mean, something involving sweet. Apart from that, I always felt a little shaky about working with precise amounts of Ingredients. Now this might sound a little strange to people who are like my mother and prefer to measure out the ingredients exactly as they cook. Not me. You can call me an intuitive cook, I have been this way from the time I started cooking all by myself. At times I measure a few dry ingredients when it is a technical recipe like this Toum (Lebanese Garlic sauce) which I made recently. But most of the times I work on my gut feelings and keep on adding or removing ingredients as the cooking goes on. Even salt and sugar I don't measure, it all depends on the recipe or the portion I am making.

So when it came to baking I kept giving myself new excuses to wriggle out of it. Bake a cake? Nah just lets get one from the nearest baker. Baking cookies? Isn't that too much work? Making fluffy pastries? Don't even think you can create those beautiful fluffy layers and so on. The excuses were endless and I could never really push myself to overcome my fears of Baking. 

Lockdown threw us in dire situations. You didn't have options to avail from outside. So home was where the hearth was for everything you needed. While other general recipes were easily taken cake of. But baking posed a very big problem to me. After a lot of trepidation I baked my first banana bread with a hand blender. My hands were sore at the end of the task but the bread made me super happy. As the first try I couldn't be more happy with the outcome. That made me a little courageous and I made a few more batches of Banana Bread which was appreciated even by my neighbors - some of whom went to the extent of saying that it was one of the best they tasted *blush* *blush*. Now if this kind of compliment doesn't boost your morale nothing will. And it did work for me.

I made a plethora of baked dishes and realized since I was more inclined towards savory stuffs, there were a lot many things I could explore with baking in the world of savory dishes. That was the turning point actually. 

With baking I realized one thing, the more you bake the more confident you grow about handling the measured ingredients. Though I have not yet reached the point where I can work on my gut even on baking, but there were a couple of recipes where I might have felt a little more flour, or butter or sugar would give  a better texture and when I did that, it was a success. Hence if a person like me can bake successfully then any one can - Just like Ratatouille used to say!

Now coming to todays recipe - Southern style Buttermilk Biscuits. We in India are always tuned to the fact that biscuits are something which are hard, flat, and unleavened and what Americans call as cookies. But in America, Biscuits typically a soft, leavened quick bread best had warm right out of the oven. So when I was randomly searching for some good savory bakes I wanted to do, I stumbled upon a Southern style Biscuit recipe which sounded so delicious and simple! Remember simple being the key here. I am still apprehensive of bakes which need like a ton of complicated elements together. 

Biscuits are widely considered to be the house bread of choice in South America. Savory or sweet, recipes are handed down generations after generations with each one having a particular secret recipe or tips to make them the best ones.  Southern buttermilk biscuit recipes typically use White Lily flour, a low-protein brand mainly available in the southern American states that makes for ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. But since you would not find them in India, I used a good quality organic flour and they came out very nice. When I was in US, one of my colleagues was from the South and she once brought a box of flaky biscuits for a pot luck party and that buttery taste lingers on my senses till date.

Nothing beats a warm biscuit slathered with butter and strawberry jam. But I bettered it, I made a batch of Strawberry Butter and slathered a delicious amount of the yummy pink hued butter on the warm biscuits. Believe me they tasted just out of the world! I would be adding the recipe of the Strawberry butter in the coming blogs.

I went through a lot of recipes and considerations for making the perfect Buttermilk recipe. I wanted to make a small batch of biscuits because there biscuits are best when they are just out of the oven, warm, flaky, ah-mazing! The recipe that I am giving below is one of my favorite - flaky, but not dry; chewy, but not tough; crisp in just the right spots.

I will also mention the points to keep in mind when you are making this recipe. Remember biscuits need all the ingredients super cold! That is one of the main key! Don't compromise on the cold factor else you might not have the amazing flakiness to it.

Biscuits come in many flavors, but this basic buttermilk biscuit recipe is probably the one that people most often make and enjoy and one that will never go out of style. This is the first bake of 2021 and it turned out so amazing. I am ready to take baking heads on this year! Also I can check off another thing in my quest to learn new things this year. 

Tips for Making Perfect Biscuits 

1. Keyword is COLD. Everything should be super cold preferably! Right from your mixing bowl to each of your ingredients. Biscuit dough demands to be super cold when it goes for baking to yield best flaky biscuits
2. DO NOT and please do not twist the biscuit cutter! Just cut straight down and lift up. Don't turn it even though how much tempted you are! Twisting the cutter will make two layers stick and the biscuits wont rise.
3.  Make sure all the ingredients are fresh
4. Do not add extra flour even if the dough seems sticky, as you work the layers it will come together properly
5. Work fast and chill the dough if you feel the butter is melting.

• Flour - 2 cup, additional 1/2 cup for dusting
• Baking Powder - 2 tsp
• Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Buttermilk - 3/4th cup chilled in freezer for about 10 minutes before use(Recipe Below***) 
• Butter - 7 tbsp, super chilled in freezer, and cut into small pieces
• Confectioners Sugar - 1 tbsp

For Brushing:

• Buttermilk - 3 tbsp

For Glazing

• Melted Butter - 1/4 cup

Equipment:

• Big Mixing Bowl (chilled for 10 minutes before use)
• Electric Blender or Hand Blender
• Spatula
• Clean Work Surface (for rolling out the dough)
• Rolling Pin
• Baking Sheet
• Baking Tray
• Oven / Microwave with convection

Procedure 

1. Preheat oven to 220 degree C/ 425 degree F or in a microwave (convection mode) to 200 degree C  or whatever is its maximum temperature.

Note: I made this in a microwave with convection mode (IFB) at 200 Degree Centigrade.  

 

2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly grease the paper. Keep aside.

3. Chill the mixing bowl before use. Sift in flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt into the mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients for about 5-7 minutes to incorporate the air in them.

4. Now add the super chilled butter pieces into the dry ingredients. Give it a shake or coat the butters with the dry ingredient mix. Now with the help of a metal fork or a pastry cutter break down the butter into the flour. Do that for 5 minutes till it resembles coarse crumbs.

Now put the bowl with the dry ingredients in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. We want to maintain the chill in the ingredients especially if you are working in a hot country.

Tip 1: Don't go for a crazy cut in. Under work in this case is better than overworked flour. Once you see pea sized pieces, that is where you should stop. If you see little nubs of butter still visible, that is perfect!

Tip 2: You can use hands to do the same, but if you are residing in a hot and humid place like me, then the hand would start melting the butter when you work on it and that we do not want. Hence use a spoon to break them all down, and finally for a minute use your fingers to bring them together.

5. Bring out the bowl from the refrigerator. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredient mixture. Pour the cold buttermilk in the well. Fold everything together slowly with a large spoon or rubber spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough! The dough needs to be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. Refer to the photo.

Tip: Make sure you have a cold buttermilk! Put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before using it in the recipe.

6. Dust the worksurface with flour generously. Now turn dough onto a floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with a bit more flour and bring together gently into a loose ball. With floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. If there are loose crumbs around don't worry eventually everything will come together.

Tip: The dough will feel sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. 

7. Fold the rectangle in thirds like an envelope - first one side and then the other. Turn the dough 90 degrees, gather any crumbs and flatten the rectangle. Repeat the envelope folding two more times like this.

This means you repeat the same folding process 3 times in total. This folding will help in making the biscuit flaky. 

Note: Freezing Dough 

You can freeze the biscuit dough at this stage. Prepare the dough in steps 3 through 7. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (it will help in preserving the freshness) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 8. 

8. Now roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.

Note: Do not make it thin as it might not yield fluffy biscuits.

9. Cut into 2.5 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Re-roll scrap dough until all the dough is used. It will yield around 10 - 12 biscuits.

Tip 1 : Dip the cutter in flour before every cut, just to keep things from sticking.

Tip 2: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising

Note: I didn't have a round cookie cutter hence I used a small metal glass to cut the biscuits.

10. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking tray. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb (refer picture).

11. Brush the top of the biscuits with 2 tbsp of Buttermilk. 

12. Bake at 200 degree C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.

How to Store Buttermilk Biscuit

Fridge: 

Place the biscuits in an airtight container or ziplock bag. They can be stored in the fridge for about a week.

Cupboard: 

Place the biscuits in an airtight container and you can store in in your cupboard for about 3-5 days. Ensure the cupboard is a cool and dry place. Humid places can spoil the biscuits faster.

Freezer: 

This method can ensure that they remain in the current state for the longest time. However frozen biscuits are brittle so take care while taking them out and don't overcrowd while storing them.

Procedure for reheating Buttermilk Biscuit

Oven: (most preferred)

Pre heart your oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with non-stick parchment paper or a silicon mat. Place each biscuit evenly on the tray. You can brush oil or butter on top to add more flavor and to keep them moist. Refer to the following baking times for each type of biscuit:

• Room Temperature Biscuits – 3 minutes
• Chilled Biscuits – 6 to 8 minutes
• Frozen Biscuits – 15 minutes

Microwave: 

Wrap the biscuits in a moist towel. Place your biscuits in a microwave-safe container that has a cover. Lightly place the cover on the container and microwave for below time depending on the type of the biscuit.

• Room Temperature Biscuits – 2 minutes
• Chilled Biscuits – 3 minutes
• Frozen Biscuits – 4 minutes

Pan: Preheat your pan. Cover each biscuit with tin foil individually. On low heat warm both sides depending on type of biscuit below. Remove from heat and serve.

• Room Temperature Biscuits – 1 minute (total)
• Chilled Biscuits – 1 1/2 min (total)
• Frozen Biscuits – 2 minutes (total)

Procedure for Homemade Buttermilk

Buttermilk helps to create tender baked goods and keeps them moist. Since it is acidic so if your recipe calls for baking soda, it will react with the baking soda to help your baked goods rise.

Process 1

Take half cup curd/yoghurt and half cup full fat milk at room temperature and stir in for a nice thick consistency buttermilk. Can be used for dipping in chicken for marination as well as baking.

Process 2

Take half cup curd/yoghurt and half cup water at room temperature and stir in for a thinner consistency than Process 1 buttermilk. Can be used in baking.

Process 3

Take 1 cup full fat milk at room temperature and to it add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir the mixture together and let it sit for 10 minutes without touching. When it looks a little curdled, it is ready, Give a final stir and you can use it as is in your baking.