Berkeley style buttermilk biscuits… Southerner Approved.
Thanksgiving culinary traditions are often geographical in origin. A friend of mine is third generation Filipino immigrant and they have spam fried rice every Thanksgiving. There’s also a pig that has been roasted in banana leaves for a day or so. I, however, come from rural Virginia, so I have this deep love of biscuits…especially if you put country ham on them. Mmm. Ham.
Since we design kitchens and the holidays are approaching, I thought it appropriate to share my biscuit recipe. You may have heard about why you cannot make Southern Style biscuits outside of the South. Science! So, these are “Berkeley Style” rather than “Southern Style” but they are Southerner Approved.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 425.
Mix…
2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Cut in…
1 stick of salted butter. (There’s a bit of a trick here. The butter must remain cold the entire time. So, I keep covering it with the flour as a buffer between my hands and the butter. Also, many recipes will tell you to cut the butter small and evenly. I disagree. Small, medium, and big-ish chunks of butter are best. This way you get a variety of layers to your biscuits.)
Add…
3/4 c. butter milk (do not include the foam in your measure; measure only the liquid but pour that foam in…mmm)
Mix gently until combined. You may need a little more butter milk. Pour the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 5 - 7 times. Less is more with this step. Over-kneading makes for tough biscuits. I often knead as little as two or three times.
Press out with your hands to 1” thickness. Use a 2” biscuit cutter or tall water glass to cut the biscuits out. Do not twist the cutter as you cut the biscuits. Twisting the cutter inhibits a good rise. Just push the cutter through and pop the uncooked biscuit out.
Bake for 15-18 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. This recipe makes 6-8 big biscuits. Feel free to double or triple the recipe. Also, don’t tell my Southern grandmothers, but they are great with a cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese.
At Design Set Match, one of the conversations we have with clients is how they plan on using their kitchens. Are they serious cooks? Do they host dinner parties? Let’s make decisions based on their love of baking. It’s this last one that excites me most. I like to ask what people plan on baking first when their kitchen is ready to live in again. I know that I would be making these biscuits.
Tripp Hudgins is Design Assistant at Design Set Match and passionate about biscuits and other baked goods.