Sometimes I stumble across a recipe that is so utterly perfect that I can’t help but applaud it. Alton Brown’s Southern Biscuits Recipe is one of these magical finds. Dale and I came across it one Sunday morning when we were out of bread, but wanted to make one of my favorite meals: a breakfast sandwich. My own laziness urged me to select a biscuit that required ingredients we had on hand, and Alton’s was the first that fit the bill. I can’t attribute much to my own sloth, but I’m glad that it resulted in finding this recipe.
The biscuits require only flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, shortening, and buttermilk. (If we’re being honest here, I didn’t actually have buttermilk that first go-around; I used the age-old trick of combining 1 Tbsp lemon juice with 1 cup milk.) As Alton points out, the key to the biscuits’ fluffy rise and texture is to not overwork the dough.
Since our first run, we’ve made these babies with a mix of white and whole wheat flour, which was also very good. They’ve been slathered with butter, smeared with jam, topped with cheese, and served as carriers for eggs and bacon. They have even been stolen by our pets through a sneaky operation involving the cat knocking a biscuit off the counter so the dog could eat it. Yup, they are that good.
You know you want to…
Check out Alton Brown’s Southern Biscuits Recipe here
~Linz
September 9, 2012 9:24 am
They look fluffy and delicious. I really appreciate a biscuit with a nice crusty brown top. My only issue is that shortening is an ingredient I no longer keep in my pantry. I honestly never use it and prefer butter. I imagine they wouldn’t be as fluffy if I used butter instead but I might just try it and let you know how it turns out! The high altitude thing here is so tough with baking too. I just spent the weekend reworking my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe because I wasn’t pleased with how much they spread on Friday morning. Anyway, i’m rambling.
Also, you can email me at ouryuppielife@gmail.com
September 10, 2012 9:26 am
Hi Sara,
I’m not a huge fan of shortening, either. I happened to have some on hand from an old recipe, and I’ve been using it just for the biscuits since. I wonder, scientifically, how it affects the recipe differently from butter. In the comments on the recipe page, I saw that a number of people decided to make them with butter only. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Linz