Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Tue 28 Jul 2009 05:59:12a, Jean B. told us...
>
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>> On Tue 28 Jul 2009 05:22:07a, Jean B. told us...
>>>
>>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>>> On Sun 26 Jul 2009 08:24:53p, Paul M. Cook told us...
>>>>>
>>>>>> "Damaeus" > wrote in message
>>>>>> ...
>>>>>>> I accidentally posted this first to rec.food-cooking....here's a
>>>>>>> post for this group:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I like biscuits now and then, and I got the itch to have some a
>>>>>>> while back when I was watching the Food Network and saw Tyler
>>>>>>> Florence's version. He shocked me when he said to use vegetable
>>>>>>> shortening, his reason being that he found that butter tends to
>>>>>>> burn, while shortening doesn't.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Well, here's the recipe, first of all:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/t...ermilk-biscuit
>>>>>>> s- re cipe2/index.html
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Okay, I tried the recipe. I have to say they were not unedible,
>>>>>>> but nowhere near the quality of biscuits I had made using butter
>>>>>>> instead of shortening. These biscuits came out reminding me of
>>>>>>> store-bought, canned biscuits. I blame the shortening, because all
>>>>>>> shortening is, is hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. I
>>>>>>> was skeptical of them for that reason alone.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> That said, I had normally made biscuits with plain whole milk, not
>>>>>>> buttermilk. We normally don't keep buttermilk in the house, but my
>>>>>>> roommate had a craving for fried chicken with buttermilk batter, so
>>>>>>> since we had some left, I made buttermilk biscuits, then buttermilk
>>>>>>> pancakes a few days later. The biscuits did rise nicely, however.
>>>>>>> But they turned out with a very yellow color inside, which
>>>>>>> surprised me greatly. They were quite white going in, but you'd
>>>>>>> think I'd laced them with turmeric, they came out so yellow. (I
>>>>>>> used unbleached flour.) As for the doneness, there was an even,
>>>>>>> brown crust all the way around it, that was almost cookie-like in
>>>>>>> texture, about a millimeter thick. I layered it as he suggested on
>>>>>>> TV, and as a result, they simply pulled apart like a biscuit-bun,
>>>>>>> no need for a knife to cut it in half.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Once I get some more flour, I'm going to try buttermilk biscuits
>>>>>>> again before it expires, using butter instead of shortening to
>>>>>>> compare.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> What is your experience with using butter versus shortening? So
>>>>>>> far, I'm not impressed with shortening, but I may have to blame the
>>>>>>> buttermilk if using butter in the next go-around results in the
>>>>>>> same type of experience.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've never found butter to work well in biscuits. You get a crispy
>>>>>> rather than soft biscuit. I don't like the heavy taste anyway as I
>>>>>> put butter on the biscuits. I have always used lard or vegetable
>>>>>> shortening. Lard makes the best biscuits IMO.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Paul
>>>>> Lard + buttermilk + soft wheat flour (like White Lily) make the
>>>>> lightest and best biscuits.
>>>>>
>>>> I can see I need to buy more lard. I am thinking I can use the
>>>> recipe in James Beard's American Cookery, but with those ingredients.
>>>> Yes?
>>> Absolutely.
>>>
>>>> Speaking of buttermilk... This is probably a stupid question, but
>>>> is it possible to find real old-fashioned buttermilk anywhere in the
>>>> Boston area?
>>> Most of what you'll find in any city is cultured buttermilk, but
>>> quality varies. I usually buy mine at TJ's or Sprouts. You'd probably
>>> have to find a private dairy to get the "real thing", but good quality
>>> cultured buttermilk works just fine.
>>>
>>> Once you have some, you can perpetuate your supply by mixing up a quart
>>> of non-fat dry milk, adding a cup of buttermilk and leaving it to set
>>> on the counter overnight, or until it clabbers. Then shake well and
>>> refrigerate. You can repeat this process indefinitely. Buttermilk
>>> used for cooking purposes can be kept refrigerated for months without
>>> spoiling.
>>>
>> Cool! Thanks. I still would like to find the old-style
>> buttermilk at least once in my lifetime.
>>
>
> Then you need raw milk where the cream hasn't been separated, and a churn.
> You can buy tabletop churns. You get the best of both worlds, fresh butter
> and fresh buttermilk. OTOH, if you drive out into the country where there
> are small farms that keep a few cows, they may make small quantities for
> themselves and might be wiling to part with some. Is there any Amish
> country within your driving distance?
>
Probably not. BUT this ties in with my growing desire to
experience milk that is more like nature intended!

--
Jean B.