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This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I tried a batch of Tyler's Better Buttermilk Biscuits. There are a few biscuit recipes on the foodnetwork website with Tyler's name on them, but these had the best rating and I love buttermilk biscuits so I just had to give them a try.
Better Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients together with a fork. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk. Quickly fold dry ingredients into buttermilk with your hands until a sticky dough forms.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Roll dough out to 3/4-inch thick. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Transfer dough rounds to a sheet pan. Gather scraps and repeat. Make a dimple in the center to help the top rise evenly. Brush with butter. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven until golden brown.
Look at that biscuit height!
Changes I made to ingredients were using a 1/2 cup of margarine (one stick of Blue Bonnet) instead of vegetable shortening. I probably would have used butter flavored Crisco sticks but didn't realize I was out. I was debating using butter or margarine but figured I'd give the margarine a try and it worked perfectly! That was the only change to ingredients. I decided to try mixing the ingredients in my food processor and that was also a success, first I pulsed the dry ingredients, then the margarine in until it was the texture of coarse crumbs, then I added the buttermilk and pulsed until it was all mixed together. It looked a little dry...
but it really was not, once I touched it I knew it was perfect biscuit dough consistency. I smooshed it all together, then went through Tyler's method of folding over about four times to make layers, and then patting back out. I used a heart cookie cutter instead of a biscuit cutter (you could really use anything, an upside down glass, basic shaped cookie cutter, etc.) and was able to get 10 biscuits out of the dough.
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I dropped the baking temp to 375, I was afraid of burned bottoms at 400 -- but may try 400 next time just to see if I could get the tops more brown. I'm just so leery to use 400 because I hate burned bottoms -- you know, now that I'm thinking about I bet 400 on an insulated baking sheet would probably be just perfect -- I used a single ply sheet this time. The browned tops didn't end up mattering much after we tasted these though. I bet cooking them in a cast iron skillet would be wonderful as well and will have to try that next time.
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The bottoms were a perfect crispy golden brown, the insides were tender and flaky, the flavor was perfect!
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We loved these biscuits. One of the best part of the recipe is how easy it it, especially utilizing the food processor for the mixing. I can not wait to make strawberry shortcakes with these biscuits when strawberry season arrives! Strawberry shortcakes are a favorite dessert of my husband and I make them all the time in the summer. I may even have to buy some off season strawberries and make shortcakes next week for my husband's birthday :)
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