It's Tillie!

Making Biscuits from Scratch

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by

Tillie Eze
in

A couple of weeks a go a friend introduced me to Jacob’s Pickles, restoring my trust in the New York restaurant industry recreating southern food without adding their bourgie take on it. The gravy was on point, their moonshine strong, and those biscuits were flakey and buttery. It really did make me miss everything warm and fuzzy Texas has to offer, including the award winning fare.

Because I couldn’t justify trekking all the way to the Upper West Side from the Prospect of Brooklyn, attempting to make them from scratch was the next best thing. I’ve made them once before when I studied in France, but we couldn’t find buttermilk leaving them more like flakey, flat buns than anything else. But this time around, all ingredients at my disposal, nothing could really go wrong, right. After several searches, I came upon a recipe from The Country Cook for Butter Dip Biscuits that seemed very simple. Her aftermath looked very similar to those from JPs, just a bit smaller in size; optimal for at home devouring.

There’s no video of the recreation because both times were spur of the moment tries, but I will say the first batch from last Wednesday were not great. They were OK. I later realized, and I mean days later, only two cups of flour were added rather than the instructed two and a half cups. Lesson learned? Read the instructions VERY carefully. Also, don’t use a whisk. HAHA! (see below for why.)
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The second time around the biscuits came out much better, but once cold, they seemed a bit chewy. They could be the shifting of my teeth since wearing Invisalign, but it did make me weary enough to chomp down with my back teeth only. Keep in mind I split the dough into two pans instead of using the instructed [there’s that word again!] one (1) 8×8 pan. [Maybe that would have made a difference? Qui sais?!]  They look pretty ok, tasted damn good, especially with some honey on it… a delish dish definitely. But they were far from Jason’s Pickles or The Country Cook level, which is expected for a second try… right?

What do you think?

 

Ingredients:

1⁄2cup (1 stick) salted butter
2 1⁄2cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1⁄2tablespoons baking powder
1 3⁄4cups buttermilk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl (or you can use the baking dish that you’ll be baking in), melt butter in the microwave.
  2. Mix together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. (Using a wooden spook is best… I used a whisk the first time. Not wise at all.)
  3. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until a loose dough forms. Batter will be sticky.
  4. Press biscuit dough into baking dish, directly on top of the melted butter. Press it out with the back of the spoon or with your hands.
  5. Take a sharp knife and cut the biscuit dough into 9 squares before baking.
  6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, rotating dish once while baking.