Sunday, January 29, 2012

Biscuit Brunch



Since I spent the last few days in Georgia, it seems only right that I make little biscuit brunch. (And I had leftover buttermilk from a crème fraîche experiment. More on that later.) OK yes, I've made biscuits before, but that recipe called for cake flour and let's be honest, most people don't have cake flour in their cupboards. And this recipe let's you cut the biscuits into perfect circles, thereby creating the perfect sandwich shape with which to create a breakfast treat. Sadly I was out of bacon and cheddar but hello, how good does that sound? Bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit? Yes, please!


Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and cream. Stir to combine.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6 1/2-inch round (about 1 inch high). Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, reshape, and cut out. Brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake until the tops are golden, 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack, and cool. Makes about 8 biscuits.