By: Helena Stallings, Culinary Arts Student
Whether you are a pastry arts student or culinary arts student, everyone needs to know how to make a good biscuit. During the breakfast cookery portion of my culinary arts program, one of my favorite Escoffier recipes was a basic buttermilk biscuit. Start by sifting together 2 cups of AP flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar. Using a cheese grater, grate 1/3 cup of frozen butter and mix it into your dry ingredients. When the consistency is similar to a meal, gradually add 1 cup of buttermilk until it comes a dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough for 5 or 6 times and be careful not to over work it. Once it’s thoroughly kneaded, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out biscuits using a metal cutter or an upturned glass. Place the biscuits on a grease baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Biscuits Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter (frozen)
1 cup of buttermilk
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Sift and mix together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter into small flakes. Mix the butter into the dry mixture until the consistency is similar to meal.
4. Gradually add in the buttermilk until the dough pulls away from the sides slightly. If it’s sticky, add more flour. If it’s dry, add a bit more buttermilk.
5. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful, you don’t want to overwork it.
6. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it’s about a ¼ inch thick. Use the bottom of a can or the rim of a glass to punch out the biscuits.
7. Grease a cookie pan and place the cutouts on it.
8. Place in the oven and and bake for about 13-15 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden brown. Serve warm with butter, jam and honey.
