Buttermilk-style Biscuits

(The directions for this recipe had been up to date 6/2/18)

Yes, I did. No, I don’t really feel responsible about it, even one little bit. Neither do you have to.

Buttermilk biscuits, and biscuits typically, are exhausting to re-create, y’all. No joke. As I’ve talked about earlier than, there are some chemical properties of wheat and gluten which can be very troublesome to imitate. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to seize the qualities of a “real” buttermilk biscuit right here (and Lordy, am I pleased with it!), but it surely’s been a protracted street and included a whole lot of experimenting and testing (and re-testing).

In this recipe, there are two secret weapons: plain gelatin and plain MCT oil powder. You can skip these substances, however they make a texture distinction. I’ve been testing this formulation for months. Trust me.

The gelatin helps the biscuits keep moist and tender, whereas additionally holding every thing collectively properly sufficient that they don’t crumble. For a Lenten Friday meal, I used one to make an egg and cheese biscuit and it was superb!

The second secret weapon is the plain MCT powder. This stuff was really the icing on the cake…. errr, biscuit. As I tinkered, getting the fats content material good was troublesome. Adding extra butter or lard, or perhaps a liquid fats like mct oil or further heavy cream would mess up the ingredient steadiness and run the danger of spreading or simply being too moist. No one needs soggy, spreading biscuits.

Still, the extra I examined, the extra I noticed one thing was lacking. Something to present it just a little further crunch to the crust. That factor was the MCT powder. Just that little bit of additional fats, integrated with out throwing off the essential moist-to-dry ratio, helped the tops and bottoms crust up completely. The result’s a biscuit that’s tremendous tender inside however with a very good little bit of chunk to the outsides.

Notes: I didn’t record this as vegetarian or pescatarian-pleasant, as a result of it accommodates gelatin. Some working towards these consuming existence embrace gelatin, whereas others don’t. For the needs of my non secular practices, gelatin is completely OK to devour throughout Lent, regardless that it’s derived from animal bones. For no matter motive, it’s not counted as meat (don’t know why, however I’m simply going with it). However, if you happen to think about gelatin off-limits in your vegetarian or pescatarian weight loss plan that is one you’ll most likely wish to skip. This recipe simply works with the gelatin, and is properly-beneath my private expectations with out it.

Obviously, I didn’t use buttermilk. To get the identical richness that buttermilk gives, in addition to that slight tang, I merely soured some heavy cream by including vinegar. That’s actually all there may be to it.

Also, it’s actually necessary that you just don’t overwork the dough. Your arms are heat, and so is the ambient temperature in your room, so the extra you mess with it, the extra you run the danger of overheating the chilly fats and having your biscuits unfold. Same goes for processing it within the meals processor. That fantastic gadget makes it tremendous straightforward to chop the chilly fats into your dry combination, however do not forget that it produces warmth because it runs, so go gentle on the pulsing.

Lastly, I put this within the notes beneath, however I just about all the time get 7 biscuits from one batch of dough. I do know that’s an odd quantity, so if you happen to needed to make use of a cutter barely bigger or smaller to even it out, it’s positive. Just watch it when you flip down the warmth within the oven. When the tops are golden, so are you!

Description

Recipe up to date 10/22/2020. The unique directions included preheating the skillet whereas making the dough, however this requires a really fast dealing with time. To keep away from or reduce spreading, I’ve eradicated that step and listed one other pan as an possibility, if desired.

Ingredients

3/4 c (6 fl oz/ 177 ml) heavy cream
1 tbsp. (1/2 fl oz/ 15 ml) white vinegar
7 oz (198 g) positive almond flour (I take advantage of King Arthur model)
2/3 oz (18 g) coconut flour
1 degree tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 envelope (1/4 oz / 7 g weight) plain gelatin (Knox model is ok)
1 scoop (approx. 10 g) plain MCT powder
1/4 c very chilly lard OR 1/2 stick (2 oz/ 57 g) very chilly butter (if utilizing butter, dice it)
1 massive egg
1 tbsp. (1/2 fl oz/ 15 ml) water

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine collectively the heavy cream and vinegar and put aside. In a separate small bowl, beat the water and egg collectively to make an egg wash, and set it apart.
Preheat oven to 425 levels F, flippantly rub a forged iron skillet down with butter or lard. Alternatively, you should use a brownie pan with the person wells for every brownie (if you happen to’re nervous about spreading, that is the choice I like to recommend).
Place all dry substances right into a meals processor and pulse a couple of occasions to include.
Add the very chilly lard or butter to the meals processor and pulse a couple of occasions extra, simply till it appears like very coarse crumbs. Don’t course of it too far or attempt to get the incorporation too positive! There ought to be pea-sized globules (or barely bigger) of the powder-coated fats unfold all through.
Turn the combination out right into a mixing bowl.
Stir the heavy cream and vinegar combination once more, then combine it into the dry substances with a wood spoon or spatula till it’s simply mixed. DO NOT overmix! This dough goes to be a bit shaggy, (ie, free and moist-ish) and that’s OK.
Turn the dough out onto a bit of parchment paper.
Gently pat the dough out till it’s 1/2″ thick. Work rapidly and don’t overhandle the dough, or you’ll warmth the chilly fats an excessive amount of and it’ll unfold when it bakes.
Using a 2″ spherical biscuit cutter (if utilizing a brownie pan, use a sq. biscuit cutter 2” throughout), or a glass or can that’s 2″ in diameter, reduce out biscuits and set every one apart.
Recombine the dough along with your arms and pat again out to 1/2″ thickness, then reduce once more. Repeat till all of the dough is used. This could make between 6 and eight biscuits, however I usually get 7 precisely from a batch of dough.
Arrange biscuits within the skillet (or wells of a brownie pan), then brush the tops with the egg wash (you gained’t use all of the egg wash, and that’s OK).
Bake at 425 levels F for 10 minutes.
Turn down the warmth to 350 levels F and proceed to bake an extra 5-8 minutes, till tops are golden.
Remove from the oven and let stand to chill.
Serve, as desired.

Notes

Macros are calculated assuming 7 biscuits, and don’t embrace the incidental protein from the egg wash. Seriously, y’all, it’s miniscule. Don’t sweat it.

If you make a mistake and overhandle the dough, let it get a bit too heat, or simply want a couple of further minutes between chopping and baking, that’s OK. Stick it within the fridge for ten minutes after which strive once more.

Lard yields the very best taste right here, however since discovering one which’s not hydrogenated might be troublesome, you might also use butter as an alternative. Yes, I do know it sounds loopy to say lard tastes higher than butter in something, but it surely’s true.

Per biscuit: 353.4 cal, 8.4 g protein, 33.1 g fats, 8.2 g carbs, 4.3 g fiber, 3.9 g NET carbs