Multigrain Buttermilk Biscuits
I am a bit of a magazine junkie (read: hoarder). Although I strongly prefer to keep my living areas neat and tidy, I am somehow not bothered by stacks and stacks of magazines. In my living room, there are two file boxes stuffed full of back issues of culture and Cooking Light (mostly from my college days) and at least two stacks of magazines that I’m “currently reading” (Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Cook’s Illustrated ranging back for at least two months), not to mention several file folders full of magazine clippings. It comes pretty close to being a problem… but I justify it by keeping all those stacks perfectly neat and organized. After all, it’s not a mess as long as the piles are sorted by size or arranged in chronological order, right?
Even with the mass of magazines taking up space in our apartment, I couldn’t resist asking my mom to send me the August issue of Garden & Gun, which was all about Southern food. How could I say no to that? It took me a couple weeks to read my way through it (Garden & Gun is a bi-monthly publication and thus heavy on the writing, which I appreciate), but it was a thoroughly enjoyable investment of time. (I’d like to briefly address my favorite article, but if I mention even one detail, I know I’ll go off on a tangent, so I’ll just link to it. Go read it!) But most of all, it left me really hankering after a biscuit.
Although I remember eating a lot more cornbread than biscuits in my childhood, the charm of a light, fluffy, flaky buttermilk biscuit is undeniable. A good biscuit is equally delicious with a plate of fried chicken at dinner or with bacon and eggs at breakfast, and dabbed with butter and jam, it makes a perfect afternoon snack (after all, what’s a biscuit but a more rustic, homespun version of a scone?). This recipe is yet another one I’ve been making for several years, and it retains all the indulgence of a classic buttermilk biscuit, but adds the nutty richness of whole wheat and the crunch of cornmeal.
The key to successful biscuits, as anyone will tell you, is not to overwork the dough. As you’re mixing it all together, you can keep it all very loose, and even leave a significant amount of flour unincorporated. Once you turn the dough out of the bowl, you can work the loose flour (gently!) into the rest of the dough with your hands.
And then, when you roll the fully incorporated dough out, nice and easy does it with the rolling pin. You’re aiming for about 3/4″ thickness, which should only require one or two soft rolls.
I’ve probably mentioned before that I don’t have a lot of basic dough cutters; the only ones I do have are shaped like leaves, hearts, and forest creatures. So, for round biscuits, I just used the rim of a wine glass. Done!
These biscuits… well. When I’m feeling a little homesick, foods that remind me of home can be both helpful and not-so-helpful. But these biscuits hit the spot. Especially with a little blackberry jam.
Multigrain Buttermilk Biscuits
adapted from Cooking Light
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, and rub into the flour with your fingers until thoroughly mixed in. Add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula until just barely incorporated.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently incorporate any loose flour with your hands. Roll gently to a 3/4 inch thickness, and cut into about 2 1/2 inch rounds. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown. Makes about 12 biscuits.