Stella Parks serves it with strawberry and cream. Somehow the picture on the cookbook looks so lively, and so spring. Is there a better way to celebrate a cold rainy Sunday than eating warm biscuits with strawberry jam?
I bought two pints.
BraveTart buttermilk biscuit recipe is pretty standard. Flour, cold butter, don’t over mix. I freeze the remaining for future gloomy mornings, when a toast is just not gonna work. The biscuit turned out very crispy and fragrant. I immediately took a bite. Well, it’s good but maybe I didn’t use a cast iron as suggested, it does not WOW me. In my opinion, this kind of crispy biscuit pairs better with savory gravy, rather than strawberries and cream.
With that being said, I still happily finished the remaining biscuits. When Mr.186 (AKA husband) came here for a weekend, he really likes them. I’ll definitely test other biscuit recipes, until we find that PERFECT one and pass it to our grandchildren.
For now, let’s just dream about sunny spring days will come soon. If you have any favorite biscuit recipes, leave a comment below!
BraveTart Buttermilk Biscuits With Strawberries and Cream Recipe Report
Yield: six 2 1⁄2 -inch biscuits
Active time: 15 minutes
Author: HerBakingLab
Recipe from BraveTart Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks
Materials:
1. 2 cups | 9 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2. 1 tablespoon baking powder
3. 2 teaspoons sugar
4. 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
5. 1 stick | 4 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2 inch cubes
6. 3⁄4 cup | 6 3⁄4 ounces cultured low-fat buttermilk, straight from the fridge
7. 1 recipe Sliced Summer Strawberries (I used regular homemade strawberry jam)
8. 1 recipe Make-Ahead Whipped Cream (I whipped fresh heavy cream before serving)
Procedure:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 400°F. Sift flour into a medium bowl (is using a cup measure, spoon into the cup and level with a knife before sifting). Whisking baking powder, sugar,and salt. Add butter, toss to break up the pieces, and smash each cube into a thin sheet. Continue smashing and rubbing until the butter has mostly disappeared into a floury mix, although a few larger Cheerios-sized pieces may remain. (This can also be done with 4 or 5 pulses in a food processor.) If you like, the mix can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
2. Stir in buttermilk with a flexible spatula, stopping as soon as the dough comes together in a sticky ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle more flour on top, and gently pat into a 6-inch square (no need to be overly precise), then fold in half; repeat twice for a total of 3 folds. Pat the dough out 3⁄4 inch think and cut out as many 2 1⁄2 inch rounds as you can. Arrange close together in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. Gather scraps into a ball, pat out and fold once, then cut out another few biscuits.
3. Bake until golden brown on top and along the sides, about 35 minutes.
4. Split warm biscuits in half and place each bottom in a shallow dessert bowl. Spoon Sliced Summer Strawberries and Make-Ahead Whipped Cream over the shortcakes to taste, and top with the remaining biscuit halves. Serve immediately.
(Notes from the book: Cast iron ensures that biscuits bake up wonderfully crisp on the bottom, so don’t expect the same results with another metal. Placing biscuits close together minimizes spreading, so if you don’t have cast iron, a cake pan is preferable to a baking sheet.)
Conclusion:
If you like crispier biscuit, this recipe may be your cup of tea. I think sausage gravy will pair better than strawberry and cream with this recipe. For me, next time if I crave a strawberry shortcake, I will try a fluffier (more like English scone) type of biscuit.
