Recipe: Organic Valley Buttermilk Biscuits

THE MIDWESTERN BITE

In the kitchen, it’s always surprising (and refreshing) to discover how much I don’t know. Famed Chef Thomas Keller once quoted his passion for culinary discovery was based on the idea that “you never reach the top of the mountain.” There’s always something to learn and somehow, the perfect biscuit had eluded me. 

Biscuits are one of those foods that are a measuring stick of culinary abilities. (As chefs, we have a few- for example, if you serve a burger on your menu, I’m going to try it and judge you). It was after I had been cooking professionally for almost a decade, I learned (the hard way) that I had no idea how to execute a biscuit that was flaky, moist, delicately layered and most of all, delicious. Obviously, there are many schools of thought when it comes to a staple recipe- so I had to learn (and unlearn) a very basic rule of thumb when creating simple yet delicious food: DON’T OVERTHINK IT. 

The first step I discovered when making biscuits, lies in the preparation of the ingredients. I’ve found that placing my flour in the freezer helps create flakiness in the dough. Why? Cold flour (and a cold steel bowl) help the cold fat (in this recipe butter and buttermilk) achieve a uniform distribution in a solid state. Basically, we don’t want the fat melting into the flour- its one of the easiest ways to create those hockey pucks that often get passed off as biscuits. 

Secondarily, I don’t use any tools when making biscuits outside of a rolling pin and my hands. One of the cardinal sins of biscuit making is overworking the dough- so that rules out any type of mechanical mixers. We want the ingredients to come together, but just barely. This will give us that flaky tenderness (it sounds like another R&B song) that we’re looking for in the finished product. 

Third, the ingredients themselves. Who doesn’t want to make a show stopping biscuit with ingredients that they know, love and trust? I use Organic Valley Cultured Pasture Butter and Organic Valley Buttermilk for my dairy components because of their quality- and the fact that I trust their farming and business practices. 

The Organic Valley Buttermilk Biscuits recipe:

2 1⁄4 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 10 Tablespoons Organic Valley Cultured Pasture Butter (or 5 oz. for the exact science)- cut into 1⁄2 inch squares and chilled 1 cup Organic Valley Buttermilk- chilled 

Preheat your oven to 425. This is an essential step in achieving fluffy biscuits! 

Next, in cold steel bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Add cold butter cubes and incorporate with fingertips. Work the butter into the flour until it is pea sized and relatively uniform. 

Add cold buttermilk until ingredients are barely moistened. Mix and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough mixture over on itself 2-3 times an roll until its approximately 1⁄2” thick. 

Cut biscuits with coffee mug, biscuit cutter, or into uniform squares. 

Place on oiled/parchment sheet pan. Brush the tops with buttermilk/butter and bake for approximately 20 minutes (or until golden brown). 

Watch the latest episode of Wisconsin Foodie featuring these biscuits!

#ZAHMOUT!