Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Back when I was doing Fearless Biscuit I used to eat a lot more of its namesake. However, as I learned more about how weight training and diet interrelate, I realized that I was probably consuming way more simple carbs than were useful. This has somewhat to do with my youth as I had immediate family that hailed from the South - I am a Northwest kid that grew up eating a lot of Southern fare. It’s hard to shake those childhood loves, and I do love my Buttermilk Biscuits.

Fitness though, as I have come to realize over many years, is a constant state of learning and adjustment. We make goals, and then model our lifestyle to achieve them. Like many other men one of my most difficult body-comp challenges is the eradication of the beer gut. That task has become more difficult as I’ve moved into middle age and a few years ago I hit a plateau. Something had to change. Something had to be sacrificed upon the Altar of Fluffiness. 

It's not that biscuits are bad. I really don’t think of any food as inherently “bad” but they are part of that overall calorie trade off aren't they? But I still want my biscuits. I still want that connection to my long gone family members and memory. So instead of eliminating them, I have chosen to scale them back to special occasions like a nice Southern breakfast on a weekend, or making a decadent dinner for friends. On average now I think I make a batch once every couple of weeks and that’s enough to feed my need - so to speak.  

Biscuits do retain utility however.

Quick breads are called so because, well, they’re quick. If memory serves, baking powder first arrived on the culinary scene about 1843, giving cooks the ability to leaven dough without the need for yeast and thereby considerably shortening the time required to have some kind of fresh baked good on the table everyday.  The Irish embraced this idea with their soda bread, and buttermilk biscuits evolved out of Southern Appalachia in the late 1800s.

And because they are quick, a good cook can ‘Biscuit’ to impress in almost any situation. Let’s say you are at a dinner party or friends place and someone forgot the bread - you can be the hero by cranking these out from memory. Or a friend stops by for an afternoon visit and you have nothing to offer - whip out a quick batch and serve some jam, fruit, and tea (mint julep?) with them. Something this simple screams hospitality, and will impress your guests and loved ones. 

Biscuits also serve a great role by completing the protein when you are adding legumes to your diet.  Making a big-ole-pot-o-beans, or an austere bowl of lentil stew, or some stewed lima beans with ham? Biscuits. And I cannot even count how many chicken dishes or fricassees would benefit from a biscuit on the side.

All this said, I urge you not to avoid biscuits but rather enjoy them in moderation. As I said in the video, they are a simple yet decadent pleasure and your friends and family will thank you for the occasional batch. 

Lift, and Eat Well.

\m/

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups or 9 ounces of all purpose flour - we used King Arthur brand
4 tbsp or ¼ cup unsalted butter - cold. Also equals ½ stick
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup Bulgarian style buttermilk

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450° F

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and mix in the salt, soda, and baking powder.

Coat the stick of butter in the flour mixture.

Using a butterknife, cut the stick of butter into manageable pieces letting them fall back into the flour.

Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour, creating small flat sheets of butter.

Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.

Gently press the dough into a flat square or rectangle, flour the top, and fold the dough back onto itself. Repeat this step three more times. This creates flaky layers.

Press out the dough one final time, into a square or rectangle about ½ to ¾ inch thick.

Flour the top lightly and use a round dough cutter, or a bench scraper to cut out your biscuit shapes and place them on a baking tray.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until desired color is achieved. Rotate pan halfway through baking.