flakiest buttermilk biscuits

Every two months I am greeted with one of my favorite subscriptions that my mother wisely presented me (with no subtle hints) for my birthday and with each magazine I spy out every single recipe and determine to make all the recipes within its pages. And though I would share all of them with you, because let’s face it, they nail every single recipe with very carefully thought out execution, this website, I’m afraid would end up being the re-hashing of Cooks Illustrated — though that would save you all from having to pay to subscribe to their endless recipe catalog on their website, right? However, this current magazine that I received all of two days ago  I have read, and currently am going back through to make a more thorough examination (read: it is sitting faithfully on my night stand waiting for all the dog ears and sticky tabs to mark the pages and be unavoidably damp from my drooling mouth.)

Things like barbecued chicken kebabs coated with bacon paste — drooling already — pub style burgers with crispy shallots and blue cheese — can’t say no when their last recipe was astonishing to say the least — foolproof crepes with bananas and nutella – something I still need to master, and have determined that I do not have enough nutella in my diet, seeking the perfect balanced diet as always  — Indonesian fried rice, strawberry pie, an easy chart and guide to cooking greens, the list really could go on.

As I said, I will be making all these bacon smeared meats and nutella stuffed crepes for myself, and instead chose to make their biscuit recipe I have been holding on to for the the last five years for us both. Shame on me, I know. But at least you don’t have to go the rest of your days without it, because I’m giving it to you now, all of it’s flaky buttery buttermilk-ness. You can even eat them like I do: a pat of salted butter and a drizzle of honey on top. You’ll end up thanking me instead of having a biscuit grudge against me, I know it.

Biscuits previously: Buttermilk Honey Biscuits from which my childhood memories were formed, and Salami and Scallion Biscuits, the stud-biscuits of any table.

One Year Ago: Tabbouleh

Flakiest Buttermilk Biscuits
From Cooks Illustrated, Jan/Feb 2006

CI note: The dough is a bit sticky when it comes together and during the first set of turns. Set aside about 1 cup of extra flour for dusting the work surface, dough, and rolling pin to prevent sticking. Be careful not to incorporate large pockets of flour into the dough when folding it oven. When cutting the biscuits, press down with firm, even pressure; do not twist the cutter.

My note: Me in my haste to have biscuits, forgot to fold the dough into thirds the second time. Even with just the first round of third-ing dough, they still came out super flaky — even more flaky if you do both sets of dough third-ing.

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus additions for work surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, lightly floured and cut into 1/8-inch slices, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1 1/4 cups cold low fat buttermilk

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat to 450-degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Add shortening to flour mixture; break up chunks with fingers until only small, pea sized pieces remain. Working in batches, drop butter slices into flour mixture and toss to coat; pick up each slice of butter and press between floured finger tips into flat, nickel-sized pieces. (Meg note: the butter just wanted to break into little pieces when I pressed between my fingers. I found that placing the butter in the palm of one hand and using the heel of my other hand I pressed and smeared the butter into thin shards, then tossed them into the flour, gently mixing everything together with my fingertips.) Repeat until all butter incorporated; toss to combine. Freeze mixture in bowl until chilled, about 15 minutes.

Spray a 24-inch-square area of work surface with nonstick cooking spray; using a paper towel spread the spray evenly across the work surface. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of extra flour across sprayed area; gently spread flour across work surface with palm to form thin, even coating. Add all but 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to flour mixture; stir briskly with fork until ball forms and no dry bits of flour are visible. adding remaining buttermilk as needed (dough will be sticky and shaggy but should clear sides of bowl.) With rubber spatula, transfer dough onto center of prepared work surface, dust surface lightly with flour, and, with floured hands, bring dough together into cohesive ball.

Pat dough into approximate 10-inch square; roll into 18 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/40inch thick, dusting dough and rolling pin with flour as needed. Using a bench scraper or thin metal spatula, take the top edge of dough and fold it down until the edge reaches the middle of the rectangle. Fold the bottom edge upward until the edge meets the top edge, ultimately folding your dough into thirds. Brush any extra flour from surface. Now take the left edge of dough and fold in toward the center. Take the right edge and fold over to the other edge of dough, again folding into thirds. Your rectangle should approximately be 6 by 4-inches. Rotate dough 90-degrees, dusting work surface underneath with flour; roll and fold dough into thirds again, dusting with flour as needed.

Roll dough into 10-inch square about 1/2-inch thick; flip dough and cut nine 3-inch rounds with a floured biscuit cutter, dipping cutter back into flour after each cut. Carefully invert and transfer rounds to a baking sheet, spaced 1-inch apart. Gather dough scraps into ball; roll and fold once or twice until scraps form smooth dough. roll dough into 1/2-inch-thick round; cut three more 3-inch rounds and transfer to baking sheet. Discard extra dough.

Brush biscuits with melted butter. Bake without opening oven door, until tops are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly then serve with butter and honey.

Freezer Directions: Place raw cut biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in freezer until hard. Store in zip-lock bag. When ready to bake, place frozen biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.