Growing up in Atlanta, biscuits were everywhere. But I rarely ate them when I was young. I grew into them as an adult during a time we refer to simply as, “the Alabama and Florida years”. Then, when I moved to Los Angeles, I all but gave up on finding a reasonable facsimile out west. Locating a substitute for my southern craving proved maddeningly difficult. One restaurant got the biscuits right, but the gravy was brown. At others the gravy was too chalky, or thick with ham and not sausage. One establishment (the word “restaurant” doesn’t apply) hit the gravy on the head, but presented it on something that can only be described as an angel food biscuit.
My quest for the perfect biscuit is the stuff of legends, or perhaps restraining orders. I’ll let you decide.
Biscuit History:
Elizabeth David, baking maven and author of “English Bread and `Yeast Cookery”, tells us that the American style of soft biscuits are found in just a few pleas in the British Isles, but has mostly died out elsewhere in the empire. This would suggest that biscuit recipes of some sort may have come over with the colonists. But today the British “biscuit” refers to what we Americans would call a cookie. That said, the history of the American biscuit is a complex story intertwined with advances in baking “technology”, kitchen appliances, and the westward march of civilization.
In the early 1800s, yeast was expensive and difficult to store. But buttermilk made biscuits taste flaky and rich. And, according to Carolyn Weil in “Fine Cooking” magazine and other sources (“Joy the Baker”, etc.), the acidity in buttermilk also reacted with baking soda to create carbon dioxide making them light and fluffy. Then, in the 1840s, someone added cream of tarter to baking soda, creating baking powder, which was easier to transport and more stable than baking soda and buttermilk. This new baking technology, when paired with cast iron, an old standard that was losing favor, would ultimately ensure the biscuit’s lofty place in American food culture, and cookery.
Cast iron has been used in cooking for centuries. In the early 19th century, prior to the heyday of westward expansion, kitchen stoves began to be introduced into homes in the settled and prosperous East. On those new fangled appliances, where the fire was safely stowed in a compartment and open flame cooking was kept to a minimum, it was no longer necessary to use cast-iron. But for those destined for the west, durable cast iron was the obvious choice when cooking would likely involve trailside fires, and, in early settlements, hearth cooking. From cowboys in camp to the wagon trains in the high passes, cast iron baking in Dutch ovens became the standard, using the consistent distribution of heat to turn out tender, flaky, golden biscuits, stews, and all manner of edibles.
Even today, I prefer my biscuits baked in a cast iron skillet. That’s not out of “need”. I just prefer the aesthetics and flavor. Crispy, golden, half-fried biscuits and expanded cast iron cookery are, I believe, lingering benefits of western expansion that we continue to enjoy to this day.
Between the stability of baking powder, and the utility of cast iron, it’s no wonder that biscuits made their way west with the settlers, cowboys, and fortune hunters headed for the gold fields. And once they were settled and conditions began to improve, sourdough, buttermilk, and other flavored learning agents that could be manufactured at home under increasingly “stable” conditions (and not purchased) were likely high on the list of early homestead kitchen improvements.
Southern Biscuit Connection:
From the drop biscuits of grandma’s Sunday table, and those rough cut cowboy biscuits taken hot from the cast iron with raggedy torn edges, to the precise biscuit cutter edges of restaurant biscuits, each has something to tell us about that place. And bakers will vocally defend their own patch of biscuit bliss. Southern cooks will tell you the secret to good biscuits is in the flour. Those in the know say that there is no substitute for soft winter wheat (with its low protein content) in the form of White Lily flour. For over a century White Lily was manufactured in Knoxville, Tennessee. And while White Lily is now manufactured in the Midwest, buttermilk biscuits are still synonymous with southern cooking, and White Lily flour.
The Last Word:
Whether the American biscuit (buttermilk, sourdough, or baking powder) came to us from Britain or not, between, baking power, buttermilk, and cast iron, the American biscuit is an edible example of being in the right time and place. Stable and consistent leavening agents like baking powder made it easier for cooks to bake while traveling. Undoubtedly baking power is one of the advancements that helped settlers bring biscuits (and other quick breads) to the West. But Gold-fevered sourdoughs got their name from the tangy live rising agent in their breads and biscuits. And, of course many bakers swear the secret lies in the flour. So, the “simple” biscuit is really not so simple. It’s a complex thing that takes skill and practice to get right, and is deeply reflective of American history, culture, and an adventurous spirit.
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RECIPE:
Glenn’s Buttermilk Biscuits
Here’s What You Need (for a “full” batch):
For a batch of 18-30 (depending on how thick you roll the dough, and what size biscuit cutter you use) you’ll need:
- 725g (about 5 U.S. cups) all-purpose flour (plus a bit extra for the work surface)
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- 8 tsp. baking powder
- 75g baking (1/2 U.S. cup) fat (shortening) – In Ireland I use Stork. In the U.S. I think people use Crisco – Whatever you use freeze it for several hours before you are ready to bake. Don’t take it out of the freezer until you are ready to use it
- 114g (4oz.) butter – Freeze this for several hours before you are ready to bake. Don’t take it out of the freezer until you are ready to use it
- 2 cups (500ml) of buttermilk
- 1 tsp. salt
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Here’s What You Need (for a “small” batch):
For a batch of 8-12 (depending on how think you roll the dough, and what size biscuit cutter you use) you’ll need:
- 240g (about 1 2/3 US cups) all-purpose flour (plus a bit extra for the work surface)
- 2 2/3 tsp. baking powder
- 25g baking fat (shortening) – In Ireland I use Story. In the U.S. I think people use Crisco – Whatever you use freeze it for several hours before you are ready to bake. Don’t take it out of the freezer until you are ready to use it
- 40g butter – Freeze this for several hours before you are ready to bake. Don’t take it out of the freezer until you are ready to use it
- 167ml of buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp. salt
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Here’s What You Do:
- Heat your oven to 450F (roughly 230C) and place your racks in the middle of the oven.
- Fluff up the flour in a mixer to get it nice and light/airy. You may be able to do this with a fork or a whisk.
- Combine the main quantity of flour, the baking powder, and the salt in a large bowl.
- Next cut the cooking fat/shortening and butter into small (pea-sized pieces), working quickly to keep it from thawing.
The goal here is to work fast enough that the butter doesn’t thaw until the biscuits go into the oven. If it thaws too quickly, you get a gooey, damp dough that’s hard to work with. If you work fast enough and the butter/shortening holds together until the oven, it will spread uniformly through the biscuits. That’s the key to the buttery flavor and texture.
- Using your mixer set on low (so the heat doesn’t melt the butter) mix the small bits of shortening and butter into the flour, combining until it has the slightly crumbly texture of cornmeal.
- Slowly add the buttermilk, increasing the mixer speed as the dough comes together as a big slightly damp, springy, dough ball.
- Use the little bit of extra flour to dust your work surface and turn out the dough ball on that surface. Give it a light sprinkle of flour to coat and make it easier to work with.
- Knead the dough just enough to bring it together (just one or two folds).
If you can chill your hands in cold water (and then dry them quickly) it helps to keep the dough cool. But, here again, working the dough as quickly and as little as you can will keep it cool and workable.
- When the dough has come together, roll it out into a 0.75”-1.25” (depending on your preference) thick sheet.
- Use your biscuit cutter to cut your biscuits, and place them into your cold cast iron pan, or on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 21 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure a consistent finish (color and texture)
- Cool on a wire rack.
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Sources (and External Links)
The author/editor is indebted to others for the content in this article. While the final product on this page is ours, and we claim full ownership and responsibility for same, what you read here is based on our research, which led us to the following sources of information:
- English Bread and Yeast Cookery by Elizabeth David
- Fine Cooking articles by Carolyn Weil
- Joy the Baker
