Buttermilk biscuits might be traditional, but cornmeal biscuits are unexpected and delicious. The cornmeal gives the biscuits a beautiful golden hue as well as a slightly crunchy texture. This particular recipe is for cornmeal buttermilk biscuits made with shortening, which has a higher melting point than butter. This makes the dough easier to work with, though you still shouldn't use your hands to mix—too much touching warms up the batter and makes for a dense biscuit. Serve the cornmeal buttermilk biscuits with extra butter and plenty of honey.
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
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1/3 cup vegetable shortening
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2/3 cup buttermilk
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
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Put a metal mixing bowl in the freezer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased.
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Take the bowl out of the freezer. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal into the mixing bowl. Sifting the dry ingredients helps ensure there are no lumps clogging up the dough.
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With a pastry blender or fork, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
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Add milk to the first mixture and stir with a metal spoon just until dry ingredients are moistened.
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Knead just a few times on a floured surface, or until you have a cohesive dough. Don't overwork the dough.
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Pat or gently roll out about to a thickness of about 3/4 of an inch. Cut the biscuits out with a 2-inch biscuit cutter.
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Place on the prepared baking sheet.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
Tips
- To make buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to 2/3 cup of milk.
- If you don't have shortening on hand, use butter—but put it in the freezer first and grate it into the bowl for the best results. Cold dough makes the flakiest biscuits.
- Use a chilled metal spoon to mix the ingredients, not your hands.
- Avoid touching the dough as much as possible. The heat from your hands will melt the shortening and lead to a denser biscuit. If, at any point in the process, you feel like the dough has warmed up too much, take a break and put it back in the freezer.
- Play around with adding herbs and spices, such as sage, chives, or rosemary, to the batter.
- Freeze the biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet and then put them in a freezer-safe plastic bag to keep for two to three months.
Recipe Variations
- Drop biscuits: Instead of using a biscuit cutter, drop batter by the 1/4 cupfuls spaced 1 inch apart to create a freeform biscuit.
- Cheddar biscuits: Add a half-cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the batter.
- Southwest biscuits: Add a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles and a half-cup of corn kernels to the batter. If you like heat, add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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158 | Calories |
7g | Fat |
20g | Carbs |
3g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 8 to 10 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 158 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 7g | 9% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 14% |
Cholesterol 4mg | 1% |
Sodium 261mg | 11% |
Total Carbohydrate 20g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
Total Sugars 1g | |
Protein 3g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 1% |
Calcium 90mg | 7% |
Iron 1mg | 7% |
Potassium 63mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |