Simple Country Morning Biscuit

I absolutely love quick breakfasts...and yummy snacks...and a nice side with soup at dinner time, and classic buttermilk biscuits totally fit that bill. There are so many biscuit recipes out there, though, it's hard to know which is the right one. Everyone has their own idea of what a tasty biscuit should be. For me, it's buttery-rich in flavor, soft and fluffy, and has layers for pulling apart and "jamming" with my favorite preserves. I also want something that's quick and easy, doesn't have a huge list of strange ingredients or fancy steps in the instructions.

Well, I finally found it! And I need to get it in my blog recipe book before I loose it. This is a recipe you can make in minutes, even seconds in the food processor. It uses only butter creating a rich flavor and buttermilk to enhance the soft, fluffy texture.

This is one of those all-around recipes that everyone needs in their recipe book as a go-to when you're in a pinch, or you go to just because. They freeze wonderfully too. I am all about that! Stock the freezer for even faster breakfasts or add-ons to dinner. I can even pull them out for a yummy dessert by adding some strawberries and cream. Fantastic.


Simple Country Morning Biscuit

3 c flour

4 ½ tsp sugar

4 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

¾ c butter, chilled, chopped (~1/2 inch cubes)

1 ¼ c buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450F.  In a food processor, place the metal blade (not the dough blade) in the machine and add the dry ingredients, including flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Have the buttermilk measured and set aside. Blend the dry ingredients quickly. Add the chopped pieces of butter. “Bump” the processor a few times for a quick blend/chop of the butter and dry ingredients, but not too much.  You should still see butter pieces. Turn on the processor and add the buttermilk. Turn off as soon as blended.  Carefully remove dough from the bowl, being sure not to hit the blade (that hurts, I’ve done it, ouch!). This whole process should only take a couple minutes. Do Not Over Blend! The quicker, the better. 

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ½ inch thick. Fold it over, and then fold it again.  Re-flour the surface and roll it out again to ½ inch thick. Once again, fold it in half and then in half once more. One more time, flour your surface, but this time roll it out to ¾ inch thick. Using your favorite biscuit cutter to cut your biscuits out. Place on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. This recipe should yield about 12-15 biscuits. Bake for 8-11 minutes; just until slightly browned on the surface.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

* For Strawberry Shortcake, simply add an egg wash on each biscuit with a little sugar sprinkled on top before baking. Makes a  great treat at a summertime BBQ… or just because. J