BEST BUTTERY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

WITH CASSIE MULLIKAN @the_imperfect_baker_ga

Do you love warm, flaky biscuits right out of the oven?  The carb lover in me sure does.  As much as I would like to say "no thank you, I'll pass on the bread", the card carrying no carb left behind me says, "yes please pass those flaky buttery pillows of goodness."

YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE THE FLAKY LAYERS OF BUTTERY GOODNESS

I was so thrilled when my friend Cassie agreed to come over and show her no fail techniques for the best buttery buttermilk biscuits ever. Pulling these biscuits out of the oven, tearing them open to watch steam escape, then slathering them with even more butter (and jam if you please) was the ultimate in a biscuit making experience.​

CASSIE'S PREFERRED ITEMS ARE KING ARTHUR FLOUR & KERRYGOLD BUTTER

Butter – Cassie recommends a really good quality, high fat butter such as Kerrygold. This higher fat butter lends to a beautifully flaky biscuit and European butters seem to have the fat content that is preferred for things like biscuits, pastries and pie crusts.

Flour – Cassie recommends King Arthur flour for consistent, successful results in baking.

The best thing, well almost the best thing, about these biscuits is their simplicity.

Biscuits are so ridiculously easy to make you won't believe it.  Cassie has such great techniques for making perfect biscuits, but each technique is quite easy and there is actually nothing,  and I mean nothing difficult about making these flaky treats. That's probably why biscuits have been such a favorite among home bakers for so long. They're just so darn good, and there's not a whole lot of effort into making them the wonderful beautiful biscuits that they are.  It's all in the process.

It's simply cutting very, very, very, very cold butter into flour, adding a bit of salt, baking powder, mixing all together with just the tips of your fingers, then gently patting or rolling out, cutting them into the shapes you desire, (or making drop biscuits right into an iron skillet) and baking them to golden perfection.

NOTHING LIKE A BISCUIT TOAST AMONG FRIENDS □

If you want to be the best biscuit baker you can be, watch the YouTube instructional video for all the great tips and tricks Cassie provides.  Your friends, family, and anyone you bake these for will thank you.  And then they'll want you to make some more!

A BIT OF JAM ON MINE

THE BEST BUTTERY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
With CASSIE MULLIKAN a/k/a @the_imperfect_baker_ga (on Instagram)


Base Recipe Courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens; Anyone Can Bake cookbook
Ingredients:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour ( Cassie prefers King Arthur)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) very cold butter (we like to grate 8 tablespoons & cut the remainder into little pats)  (Cassie prefers Kerrygold)
• 1 ¼ cup Buttermilk (cold)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar
3. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands) cut/blend in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
4. Make a well in the center of the flour.  Pour in the buttermilk
5. Using a fork (or hands if you don’t mind getting messy) stir until evenly moist
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface
7. Knead the dough by folding and gently pressing it for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together
8. Pat or roll dough to ¾ inch thickness
9. Flour your biscuit cutter and cut out the dough
10. Reroll and cut scraps as necessary
11. Place biscuits 1” apart
12. Cook for 10-14 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown
13. Serve warm

Notes:

• FOR DROP BISCUITS:  increase buttermilk to 1 ½ cup.  Mixture will be wet. Using a large scoop (like an ice cream scoop) drop dough into 12 mounds and bake
• CASSIE PRO TIPS ON BUTTER PREP: 
  • Using a cheese grater, grate 8 tablespoons of butter
  • Slice the remaining 4 tablespoons into thin rectangles
  • Put butter in the freezer for about 15 mins
  • Using fingers to mix in grated butter (see step 3)
  • Add the sliced butter and pat into flour until butter is coated
  • Continue with remaining steps above