Buttermilk-Cornmeal Biscuits
Submitted by fathom19
Buttermilk cornmeal biscuits with a gritty Southern crumb, tangy buttermilk lift, and a crackly egg-washed top. Tender on the inside, crisp on the bottom, ready in about half an hour.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
12 minREADY
32 minThese biscuits split the difference between a flaky Southern biscuit and a soft, crumbly piece of cornbread. The cornmeal adds gentle grit and that toasted-corn perfume you only get from real meal, while the buttermilk supplies the tang and the lift.
Cold butter is the key. Cutting chilled cubes into the dry mix leaves pockets of fat that steam open in the oven, giving the biscuits their layers. If the butter softens before you get to the buttermilk, the texture turns dense.
Knead just five or six times, no more. Overworked biscuit dough goes tough fast. A quick brush of egg white on top before baking gives the crowns that lacquered, golden gloss bakery biscuits show off.
Serve warm with jam, butter, or a drizzle of honey. They also play well next to a bowl of chili or a Sunday brunch egg plate.
Pro Tips
- Freeze the cubed butter for 10 minutes before cutting it in. The colder the better.
- Stir the buttermilk in just until the dough comes together. Streaks of dry flour are fine.
- Press, don’t twist, the biscuit cutter. Twisting seals the edges and stops them from rising tall.
- Place biscuits with sides almost touching for soft sides, or further apart for crispier edges.
Variations
- Stir in shredded sharp cheddar and a pinch of cayenne for cheesy biscuits.
- Add chopped fresh chives or scallion for a savory brunch version.
- Swap 2 tablespoons of the flour for stone-ground whole wheat for extra nuttiness.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and soda in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add buttermilk; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 5 or 6 times.
Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut with a 2½ inch biscuit cutter.
Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Brush tops with egg white.
Bake at 450F for 12 minutes or until golden.
Sever warm biscuits with jam and cream if desired.
Comments
I added two pieces of crystalized ginger.a quarter cup of golden raisins,five dried apricots.I cut up the dried fruit in very small pieces and added it after the buttermilk.I also mixed my flour between spelt, wholewheat kamut,white and soy-delicious