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Two and a half months in, I can see through the Biscuit Matrix.
When I embarked upon my trawl toward biscuit perfection at the dawn of aught-nine, it was from a flat, sad, bitter place, indeed. Rather than crispy-footed, larded puffs of sweetly steaming layers reaching -- straining ever heavenward, my oven yielded depressing, molar-cracking pucks I refused to inflict upon my entirely un-picky dogs. Now my biscuits rock, and I'm pretty sure it's a matter of methodology rather than recipe.
Here's what I've learned after a couple dozen batches, and plenty of advice from Slashfood commenters, Facebook friends, cookbooks and Southern grandmas:
- Store the flour in the freezer, and sift it before measuring, even if it says "pre-sifted" on the bag. This has a direct effect upon the density. An overall low temperature keeps fat from heating, so use every opportunity to bring the chill. 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour scooped straight from the bag can yield 5 cups after sifting. It makes a significant difference. Thus far, Southern Biscuit Self-Rising and White Lily All-Purpose have been very good to me.
- Whisk dry ingredients together, rather than stirring, in order to maintain airiness.
- Don't skimp on the salt, and even if it's not called for in the recipe, toss in a pinch of sugar to aid with a crunchy crust. - Chill the fat as well, and experiment to find the blend that suits your tastes. The shortening batches I tried lacked flavor, and once cooled, lost any initial moisture. I've settled on a 50/50 blend of lard and unsalted butter, which adds a rich flavor upon immediate serving, and helps any leftovers remain entirely appealing, even through a re-heating.
- To mix in the fat, cut it into pat-sized pieces, chill your hands under cold water, dry them, and use your fingers to rub the fat into the dry ingredients. Work it down until half feels like meal, and the other half is pea-sized lumps.
- Buttermilk is the only way to go, liquid-wise, and make sure it's cold. The mixture should be fairly wet, as the escaping steam will help loft the layers.
- I've yet to experiment with my grandmother-in-law's pillow-case rolling method, but have opted instead for a brief knead, and then pat the dough into a rough, thick rectangle. Early batches barely held together because I was afraid to touch the dough. I got over it.
- Al la Master Biscuit Maker Scott Peacock, dip a dinner fork into flour and prick the surface of the dough all over before cutting the biscuits. It'll help steam escape. And for goodness sake, don't twist the cutter, as that will seal the sides and inhibit the loft you're after. Let the sides touch a little, as that will provide a pleasing contrast in texture.
- Use an ultra-hot oven, 'bout 500F, and use the top couple of racks. Parchment paper on a cookie sheet provides a perfect, non-stick surface.
- A little bit of melted butter brushed onto the biscuit tops seconds after they leave the oven helps 'em taste like goshdarned heaven above.
The mission continues throughout '09, and I wouldn't have made it this far without your help. If you've any more advice to share in the comments below, I'll happily sop it right on up.
See previous Biscuit Mission dispatches here.
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3-18-2009 @12:50PM ardwulf said... I just wanted to say that as a blogger in a totally unrelated field, I recently subscribed to Slahfood and am enjoying it tremendously.
My only problem is that reading it makes me hungry.
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3-18-2009 @1:17PM Astin said... You don't weigh your flour? Sifted or not, flour by volume is inconsistent. I imagine with something as touchy as the perfect biscuit, you'd want consistency in the measurements.
Also, if one doesn't have buttermilk, the reliable old buttermilk substitute (milk + acid) should be done with lemon juice in this case, not vinegar. The lemon juice won't affect the flavour, but WILL cause the biscuits to brown nicely. Besides, store-bought buttermilk isn't real buttermilk anyway. If you want to be truly authentic, find someone churning butter.
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3-18-2009 @1:29PM MattB said... I'm curious; why don't you weigh your flour instead of sift/measuring? I can't imagine you can ever sift flour then scoop/sweep to get the same measurement twice. After reading the Bread Bible, I've never made a flour-based recipe a second time without noting the weight of the flour the first time (correcting as necessary).
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3-18-2009 @1:44PM slamb2002 said... I'm curious if the author has any experience with cast iron biscuit pans. I love biscuits, love cast iron, but have never seen one used. I appreciate the hard work in Biscuit Advancement.
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Drop-Biscuit/dp/B00063RX7O
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3-18-2009 @3:31PM Monika said... I have to follow a few comments above:
1- I've been itching to do breads/biscuits in cast iron.
2 - Have you ever experimented with the buttermilk? Using from store, homemade, real, etc? I've noticed no difference making my own substitution for pancakes, but I wonder about biscuits.
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3-18-2009 @3:45PM Christopher said... You might want to consult "Cookwise" by Shirley O'Corriher. Her sections on fats and baking will help provide you with some insight into the chemistry behind what you're doing. For example, do you know that butter is only 80% fat and 20% water and milk solids? This affects how much the glutenous proteins in the flour bond, which affects flakiness. She has some good advice about hot and cold fats, melting points, etc... Also, the type of flour you use (regular, or low-protein) can really make a difference. Also, you're exactly right re: the sugar. Sugar helps aid in browning and caramelization. Good call on the pinch of it. Definitely pick it up at a bookstore or library, and you'll be on your way to figuring out the perfect biscuit for 2009.
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3-18-2009 @5:01PM tara said... Hi, I really enjoy your website about cooking etc. I started a small food storage business and was wondering if you would put a link to our site from yours, our site is called www.foodstoragedepot.com we are not trying to take any of your traffic from your site to our but merely trying to get google to recognize our site. In exchange for linking to our site we are willing to give away some free food storage to you. If this interests you please email me at taraivers@gmail.com Thanks Tara
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3-18-2009 @6:41PM Rt said... It sounds as if you are on the road to biskit Nirvana. I agree with all of the things you learned. Here's my two cents.
I don't understand the debate between weighing or measuring flour. It is the consistency (texture?) of the dough that drives the product. For example:
A cake is mixed well for a finely textured product. Biskits are a mess - poorly mixed and soggy, 'spoonable' is the best description I can offer. Some prefer to roll out the dough but that is for presentation purposes and diminishes the chance of perfection.
Bread is mixed well AND kneaded to produce the desired texture. Some breads are 'fluffy' inside, but not like a biskit - no air spaces in a biskit. 'Over working' biskit dough is the road to ruin. You statement, "Early batches barely held together because I was afraid to touch the dough. I got over it." is spot on.
Bread must 'rise' but not cake, nor biskits. Mix it, spoon it, bake it. Biskits often 'grow' in size and end-up touching each other. The dough needs to be firm enuf to hold a peak - that's it.
As far as recipes go they are generally simple but it is far easier to use Bisquick out of the box. Store-bot buttermilk works fine (I haven't tried making my own). Practice on your best recipes then try the box. You will be surprised. Remember the part about a loose dough. I suspect they have the fat, flour, and rising agents ratios down pat.
I really like the parchment paper idea, too bad I don't own any (I do own butcher's paper, is there a big difference?). The cast iron skillet should work well but a little difficult to handle (it would have to pre-heat with the oven). I had to stop making biskits because I eat them like a pig! Still, that cast iron idea may be worth experimenting with - just for old times sake :)
BTW, biskits freeze very well and can be nuked for a very pleasant treat. Certain meals just aren't the same with bread (and I do love bread - of any form). Mmmmmmm, warm biskits :)
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3-19-2009 @8:50AM ghanima said... I was just wondering if anybody can comment on whether or not they've used a Silpat to bake the biscuits on. I'm trying to avoid using parchment for the fact that it's a single-use product.
Also, for those who've been asking, I've baked biscuits in cast iron before. The bottoms brown nicely (although, obviously, very evenly). It might be too uniform a brown for some peoples' tastes. I didn't use a specifically-purchased cast iron biscuit pan, but opted to throw the dough into a cast iron pan and cut it into wedges before baking. I'd recommend trying that before running out and buying a specialty pan.
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3-19-2009 @9:52AM Becca Rice said... Have you considered using powdered buttermilk? You can find it in the baking products section of most grocery stores; it's shelf stable until you open it then requires refrigeration. I am in love with the powdered variety because it allows me to make biscuits without a trip to the store for buttermilk and without the waste of using 3/4 of a cup for a recipe and eventually tossing the rest.
My biscuit recipe is based off of the Cook's Illustrated version except that it uses powdered buttermilk and it makes fantastic biscuits in just a few minutes: http://charcuterista.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/kumquat-marmalade-and-buttermilk-biscuits/
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3-21-2009 @12:25PM biscuitbaker said... Thanks for sharing your experience with biscuit baking - and for your striving to make the perfect biscuit. Try making some clover biscuits for Easter or maybe lavender biscuits for Mother's Day? I think I'll make some blueberry biscuits today, or cranberry...my own learning, mixing, baking experiences are detailed on www.biscuitbaker.com Wait, that's not Mt. Everest he's climbing, it's a big, beautiful, billowing biscuit!!!
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3-21-2009 @8:43PM Kwijybo said... Based on the pictures, put a small indentation in the middle (so they rise more evenly and don't crown like the ones shown). Also, try a light brush of butter for better browning.
I use the recipe off the bag of 'Southern Biscuit Self-Rising flour', use a fork to cut the crisco into the flour, and sift the flour after measuring. Store the flour in a zip-lock bag (bugs and moisture blockage), at the least. Freezer is optional.
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