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The only time I ever make biscuits is for Thanksgiving. I'll add a little chopped rosemary to make them "different" but let's face it, more bread is about the last thing anyone needs to eat with a plate full of stuffing and mashed potatoes sitting in front of them. Even though I didn't (and never do) have 12 people to feed, I decided to make some biscuits this past weekend just to use up some buttermilk and cake flour. (What? It's established that I have way to much random crap in my cupboards.) And I wanted to have something for breakfast other than cereal. I made these from start to finish in about 20 minutes, not because I'm a fabulous baker but because they are so simple.
They're not unlike scones (without the cream) and as a basic recipe it's just as easy to make them more savory to accompany dinner or more sweet to have for breakfast or...whatever. I'll admit that I may have jammed some chocolate chunks into a few dough balls just to see what would happen. Ah-May-Ziiing! Be sure to eat them warm with extra butter (and Blood Orange Marmalade, if you have it).
Buttermilk Biscuits
(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup plain cake flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 45o°F.
2. Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger lumps (see photo below).
3. Stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a rough ball. Be careful not to overmix. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough into quarters, and then cut each quarter into thirds. Gently shape each piece into a rough ball and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake until the biscuits are light brown, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 12 biscuits.
*Note: You can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour in place of the cake flour/all-purpose combo, just increase the buttermilk by two tablespoons.
I'd like to sincerely thank all of you who endured the grueling sign-in process in order to vote for me in the Bon Appétit food blogger recipe contest! I realize that it was a pain in the neck, so I don't begrudge any of you who, upon actually seeing the lengthy process, decided to enjoy a cocktail while reading Perez Hilton instead. It's all good. In the future I will try to vet the voting process and only enter contests with painless one-click voting procedures. I haven't heard any results yet, but will keep you posted if I am a finalist and need to make good on few lemon tarts. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the following recipe and accompanying photos. I tried to figure out how to implement a scratch-and-sniff application, but unfortunately I'm not that technically savvy.
These cinnamon rolls kick Cinnabon's...buns! And they will be the perfect recipe to make over the holidays when you have a bunch of extra family and friends to feed, or, you just feel like you haven't ingested enough calories between the holiday parties, office sweets, and eggnog. (Does anyone actually drink that?) Whatever. Everyone will be impressed by your skills, unless they think the rolls came from a tube, or the mall. Then you'll have to sing your own praises.
Iced Cinnamon Rolls
(from The New Best Recipe/Cook's Illustrated)
Dough
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 - 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Icing
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Filling
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. For the Dough: Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the mixture is lukewarm (about 100˚F).
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddles, mix together the water, yeast, sugar, egg, and yolks at low speed until well mixed. Add the salt, warm milk mixture, and 2 cups of the flour and mix at medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook, add another 2 cups of the flour, and knead at medium speed (adding up to 1/4 cup more flour 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary) until the dough is smooth and freely clears the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a round, place it in a very lightly oiled large bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm, draft free spot until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. For the icing: While the dough rises, combine all of the icing ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and blend together at low speed until roughly combined, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and mix until the icing is uniformly smooth and free of cream cheese lumps, about 2 minutes. Transfer the icing to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
4. To roll and fill the dough: After the dough has doubled in bulk, press it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle, with a long side facing you. Mix together the filling ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far edge (see photo #1 in photo quad below). Roll the dough beginning with the long edge closest to you and use both hands to pinch the dough with your fingertips as you roll. Moisten the top border with water and seal the roll. Lightly dust the roll with flour and press on the ends if necessary to make a 16-inch cylinder. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces using dental floss (preferrably not mint flavored-see photo 2) or a thin sharp knife and place the rolls cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free spot until doubled in bulk (see photos 3 and 4 for comparison).
5. To bake the rolls: When the rolls are almost fully risen, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350˚F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes (an instant read thermometer should reach 185-188˚F, but I managed without using one). Invert the rolls onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes. (Be careful if you do this! I nearly burnt my hand and almost dropped my heavy baking dish, rolls and all, on the floor.) Turn the rolls upright on a large serving plate and use a spatula to spread the icing on them. Serve immediately!
Note: If you think you might not be able to eat all of the rolls at once (and I don't mean all in one sitting) only ice the rolls you plan to serve immediately. Place the remaining icing in the refrigerator and thoroughly wrap the un-iced rolls in plastic wrap and reserve until the next day. Reheat the un-iced rolls in a 350˚ oven until warm (8 - 10 minutes) and top the warm rolls with the reserved icing.
OK peeps. I now have a bunch of buttermilk lurking in my fridge. That raspberry cake didn't use enough of the carton. It should really be sold in smaller sizes like heavy cream.
I also still have a packet of rapid rise yeast hanging around. Yes, I could throw it away and feel no guilt. It's not like it's a meal. But since I am trying to educate myself, I decided to find a recipe that uses both buttermilk AND yeast. It's like the next step in bread making. The pull-aparts were first grade and this new recipe is like 7th grade. I'm in junior high, yo! So that apparently means I'll be using a bunch of annoying phrases...Know what I mean?
It's still not a complicated recipe but it does take quite a bit more time, extra concentration, and a few more steps, so you'll need to have a bit of spare time on your hands. Fortunately for you, I have documented the exact steps in the event that you actually try to make the rolls and need a point of reference. Just do it!
Buttermilk Fantails
(From Gourmet)
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/4 cup warm water (105–115°F)
1 tablespoon mild honey or sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1. Butter the muffin cups with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
2. Stir together the yeast, warm water, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
3. Mix the flour, salt, buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons melted butter into the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting the surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form the dough into a ball.
4. Put the dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft- free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (see photo below).
5. Punch down the dough (do not knead - see photo below), then halve. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch square (about 1/8 inch thick; keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Brush the dough with 1/2 tablespoon butter and cut into 6 equal strips (see photo below). Stack the strips, buttered sides up, and cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces (see photo below). Turn each piece on a side and put into a muffin cup (see photo below). Make more rolls with the remaining dough in the same manner. Separate the outer layers of each roll to fan outward. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and the dough fills the cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then transfer the rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes. 
Note: The rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.
I am officially on vacation (!) so I was thinking about having this be the "week of breakfasts." You know, I could sleep in, make decadent breakfasts, and then post the photos and recipes. But since I do have (alot of) spare time, I've decided to work on my baking skills. I still have a couple of packets of yeast leftover from those "simple, everyday" waffles, so I figured I might as well use them up and practice making doughs.
I found a straightforward recipe for pull-apart rolls and figured it was a good place to start. There are no rolling pins involved, no tricky shaping, and no overnight rising. You do have to allow them to rise twice, so take that into account in your planning, but you could actually make them in time for dinner...on a Saturday. The key is having a stand mixer. I don't think I'd try it without one.
I have to be honest. I never bake with yeast because of a disaster I once had. I think the yeast packet must have been expired because my dough didn't rise properly and the baked end product was tough. It went straight into the trash and I never tried it again. Until now. I'm newly inspired and think I can actually do this! Again! These rolls are freakin' good, especially straight from the oven. (Right, Chad?) They would be great for Thanksgiving (I'm thinking about reprising them - maybe with a little chopped fresh rosemary topped with flaked salt) or for your next dinner party. Everyone will be so impressed!
Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls
(Adapted from Gourmet)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-ounce package)
1 teaspoon mild honey or sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (105–115°F), divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoon for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan (1 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 tablespoon water
1. Stir together the yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk together flour (2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)
2. Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Punch down the dough (do not knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Arrange the rolls about 1-inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let the dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Whisk together the remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen the edges of the rolls from the pan with a sharp knife and invert the rolls onto a rack (or not - I just let them cool in the pan), then reinvert and cool at least 20 minutes. Makes 12 rolls.
Note: Rolls are best the day they're made but can be frozen (cool completely, then wrap well) 1 month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes. Refresh day-old rolls the same way..
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