Buttermilk Biscuits

Dearest Isabella,

I cannot tell you how long it took me to make a decent biscuit.  I suffered through many indignities:  burned bottoms, doughy middles, too salty, no flavor, crusty, leaden paperweights.  I hope to save you the pain, my darling.

I grew up with Bisquick drop biscuits.  They were good.  At least, I thought so at the time. Your Grandpa Miles would make huge biscuits to accompany strips of crispy bacon and eggs with corn.  Yes, corn!

I know what you are thinking, and yes, while many Sundays I do resort to drop biscuits, they are always from "scratch".  Every once and a while, I will go the extra mile, and pat and cut-out a perfect batch of these tender, buttery biscuits.  The secrets I have learned for making perfect biscuits are noted in the recipe.

I serve these with organic butter from pastured cows, and strawberry preserves, or honey.  Eat in moderation and enjoy!  Your brother ate 3 of these today!  So much for moderation.

This recipe will make about 8-10 biscuits.

Love,

M.

Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (up to 1 cup of this can be whole wheat pastry flour)
3 teaspoons of fresh, aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon of fresh baking soda
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of cold, organic butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons of cold, organic lard  (or more butter)
1 cup of buttermilk
2 tablespoons of organic butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450.  Measure flour into a food processor.  Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Pulse just enough to mix. 

Add  butter and lard to flour mixture.  Pulse until butter/lard mixes with flour and forms tiny pebbles of goodness (This is often said in cookbooks to resemble "course meal". )

Add buttermilk, a little at a time, through top feeder on food processor, while occasionally pulsing.

Turn mixture out onto a floured board or countertop.  Pull dough together and knead 3 or 4 times.  Pat dough, with floured hands, into a rectangle.  Fold letter-style.  (This means that you fold the dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end.) Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a rectangle. Pat dough into  a 3/4-inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. 

Cut dough into 6-8 squares. I prefer this to cutting them out with a biscuit cutter as you handle the dough a lot less.

Place each biscuit touching the next, on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.  Baste biscuit rounds with melted butter.  Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes until golden.  Eat immediately.

Options: 

You can substitute 1 cup of whole, organic yogurt for buttermilk.  These are amazing!

To turn these into drop biscuits: After adding buttermilk, use small ice cream scoop to drop biscuits onto baking sheet.  Bake as above.

You can opt to cut these out with a biscuit cutter.  Just make sure to push straight down through the dough.  Do not twist.

Beginnings

Dearest Isabella,


This is for you.  I have a book you see.  A book of recipes that I have been adding to since you were born.  Mostly they are family favorites.  Dishes that are only made once a year, for special occasions.  Dishes that have been passed down from my grandmothers, and likely their grandmothers before them.  But the pages of this book are small, and I have so many stories that I want to share with you.  So it begins, Dearest Isabella.


You see, I love food.  I'm sure you already know that about me.  When I make Sunday breakfast, I feel like I am making memories that you and your brother will remember for your lifetime.  My father used to make breakfast on the weekend, and I remember the anticipation of it to this day.   I was usually the first one up, and I loved having my dad all to myself.  Processed "maple" syrup, margarine, and boxed pancake mix never tasted so good!


Of course, there will be no boxed pancakes coming from my kitchen.  I try every day to pass along to you what I have learned in my forty years on this planet.  Real food, organic..when at all possible, seasonal, and  preferably, local.  I believe it makes a difference for you, your health, and for our planet.


Love,


M.