Biscuit Experiment 01: Scott Peacock's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits

The Great Biscuit Experiment

I think biscuits will do. They'll do for my very first post. You'll discover as this blog continues that I love to try all kinds of recipes for the same bread in order to find perfection. Right now, I have ongoing testings for Banana Bread, Sally Lunn Bread, No-Knead Bread, cornbread and biscuits, of course. I mean, who doesn't love biscuits? If you don't, well, maybe you should keep that to yourself. Nah, it's ok, I'll forgive you.

Where I'm from, the standard for biscuits is a light, fluffy, flaky version of gosh, I don't know, one of the best reasons for being alive? In LA, they seem to be more scone-like, more in the vein of hard pucks of lumpy bread. I think they should name them something else because those are not biscuits. Then again, I'm persnickety.

Unfortunately, there are few folks who still make homemade biscuits. You either get them from KFC, the Cracker Barrel (which I admit, I love) or you buy those cold tubes of pre-cut dough that explode when you hit them with a spoon. Seriously,what would your grandmother say if she saw you using those? She'd probably duck and run for cover. Smart lady. It's a shame because home-baked biscuits are a joy on so many levels.
Level 1: Frugality. You can now justify why you bought that long-neglected rolling pin that's been sitting in that kitchen drawer for how long now?
Level 2: Feeling like a kid again. Flour hands! Rolling out dough and using cute biscuit cutters! It's just like playing with playdough! But without the funny smell!
Level 3: Serious ego boost. Your guests will be mighty impressed. I guarantee it.
Level 4: Sensual gratification. Sense of taste? Check. Sense of smell. Absolutely. Sense of touch? Duh. Sense of sight? Are you blind? Sense of hearing? Ok, this one is a little bit harder to fulfill, but hey, at least you don't have to listen to the sound of that tube of biscuits exploding, right?

So let's get to cooking those biscuits.
Here's the first recipe I've tried that I feel is worth posting. These are from Scott Peacock who is the chef at Watershed Restaurant in Decatur, Georgia and is a Southern food expert. His book that he co-wrote with the venerable Edna Lewis, The Gift of Southern Cooking, is a must-have.

Scott Peacock's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits as posted by the NYTimes.com

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

1 ‌1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda

5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed, *see note about making buttermilk.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.

1. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Sift together the cream of tartar and baking soda to make baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the lard or butter. Working quickly, rub it between your fingertips until half is coarsely blended and the remaining pieces are 3/4-inch thick.

2. Make a well in center of the flour. Add all the buttermilk and stir the mixture quickly, just until it has blended and a sticky dough forms. (If the dough appears dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons buttermilk.)

3. Immediately turn the dough onto a generously floured surface. Using floured hands, briskly knead about 10 times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough and, using a floured rolling pin, roll to 3/4-inch thick.

4. Using a fork dipped in flour, pierce the dough through at 1/2-inch intervals. Flour a 2 1/2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter. Stamp out rounds and arrange on a heavy, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Remove and brush with melted butter. Serve hot.

Makes 12 to 16 biscuits. Adapted from Scott Peacock at Watershed Restaurant in Decatur, Ga.

*Note: Making your own buttermilk is unbelievably easy and is cheaper than buying a quart of buttermilk at the store. You can also make just as much as you need rather than buying a big carton and having it go bad on you because you only used a small amount for one recipe.

Making buttermilk:

Add 1 tblsp of vinegar or lemon juice for every cup of milk. Mix together and let sit for a few minutes. The acid of the vinegar or lemon juice will curdle the milk. Voila! There's your buttermilk.