The Perfect Biscuit

[andiesenji]

DITTO! My in-laws are all from Maine and put me onto 'em several years back. Shirley's Touch of Grace biscuits are good but personally I think these are better... and the dough is definitely not as messy to work with. (I hate getting all that goo under my nails.)

Di

This is one of the reasons I began using the food-handler gloves (like surgeon's gloves) several years ago.

I would be up to my elbows in dough or whatever, the phone would ring. By the time I washed and dried my hands, the caller had either hung up or it would go to my answer machine which would also cause them to hang up or leave a message and if it was a call I wanted to take, it was a problem.

This way, I strip off the glove and grab the phone. Ditto answering the door, and so on.

Also I found that some things that I had to handle a lot or for long periods, gave me contact dermatitis. Annoying and not attractive. The gloves solved that problem. A box of 100 doesn't cost that much and are a great timesaver as well as being neater. Friends who maintain perfect manicures have taken to these like gang busters.

[prasantrin]

I want to make Dorie Greenspan's Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits, but I'd like to add cheese--maybe 1 cup shredded or chopped cheddar. I might add a bit of parmesan, too. With the additional fat and heaviness from the cheese, do I have to add more leavening?

Also, she says you can freeze the biscuits and bake from frozen. If I add cheese, can I still freeze the biscuits in their raw state?

I've posted the ingredients and amounts below (I added the weights in, too.) if anyone is interested.

270g 2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, crushed between your fingers

84g 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

3/4 cup cold buttermilk, well shaken

[Kerry Beal]

I want to make Dorie Greenspan's Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits, but I'd like to add cheese--maybe 1 cup shredded or chopped cheddar.  I might add a bit of parmesan, too.  With the additional fat and heaviness from the cheese, do I have to add more leavening? 

Also, she says you can freeze the biscuits and bake from frozen.  If I add cheese, can I still freeze the biscuits in their raw state?

I've posted the ingredients and amounts below (I added the weights in, too.) if anyone is interested.

270g  2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, crushed between your fingers

84g  6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

3/4 cup cold buttermilk, well shaken

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When I add cheese to my biscuits I don't add any additional leavening. I don't see there would be any problem freezing just because of the cheese.

[prasantrin]

When I add cheese to my biscuits I don't add any additional leavening.  I don't see there would be any problem freezing just because of the cheese.

←

Thanks! I just polished off my first batch (5 biscuits)...these biscuits are crazy good! I think it's the thyme...But that little bit of sugar helped give them a very very nice crispness.

They were kind of flat, but I think I patted them out too much. They were supposed to be 1/2-inch high, but I probably patted them to a little less than that (Im not so good at judging those types of things). Plus I made them as regular biscuits rather than a biscuit topping, so I probably could have made them thicker.

I have 7 unbaked biscuits in the freezer. I don't know if they'll actually get frozen, though. I'm already craving more! (The reason I baked 5 rather than 6 was because I suspected I would eat as much as I baked, so I was trying not to be too piggy...)

[Tri2Cook]

I don't know if they're "perfect" but these biscuits rock. I've done them as written and also tested a bacon version I'm going to use in a course for an upcoming dinner.

[aeschylus]

They'll be a little bit crunchier on the outside and more pillowy than flaky, but I'm a big fan of beer biscuits -- cut whatever fat you're using into self-rising flour, and then pour in beer instead of buttermilk for the liquid, just until the dough comes together. The carbonation gives the biscuits some extra lift and the flavor doesn't hurt either. Also mixing in a half cup of whole wheat flour gives some nice nuttiness...

[Pat W]

I just noticed that most of this thread is four years old (and I'm delighted that it has been resurrected).

Andiesenji mentioned Hudson Cream Flour and I'm wondering if she still likes it as much now as she did four years ago. I checked out her link to the company and it looks very promising.

pat