Country Cat Buttermilk Biscuits
Country Cat was a restaurant in SE Portland that served up some of the best biscuits we’ve had, up until they closed in mid 2019. Hopefully their biscuits will live on.
The individual dough balls freeze very well. Just pop them on a pan and bake.
Makes 12 to 14 biscuits.
Ingredients
- 356 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 185 grams cake flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled, plus more for serving
- 1 ¼ cups low-fat buttermilk, chilled
- Jam or honey, for serving
Instructions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the buttermilk and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. (You can also whisk the dry ingredients together, cut the butter in by hand, and stir in the buttermilk with a spatula or wooden spoon, if desired.)
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Press the dough together so it comes together and form it into a rectangle. Take the far end of the rectangle and fold the dough in half over itself. Press down on the folded mass and give the dough a quarter turn.
Repeat, folding and turning for eight turns. This process makes layers in the dough, which makes them nice and flaky.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is 1 inch thick and, using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut biscuits out of the dough. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet, placing them about ½ inch apart. Gather the remaining pieces of dough, reroll to 1 inch thick, and try to get a few more biscuits out of it. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and discard any remaining dough.
Cover the biscuits with plastic wrap and place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 weeks. When the biscuits are chilled, arrange a rack in the corner of the oven and preheat the oven to 425F.
Place the biscuits in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and decrease the oven temperature to 400F. Bake the biscuits for 5 minutes more, or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown and the sides are set, but not yet golden brown.
Serve with butter, jam, and/or honey.
Recipe from Heartlandia - Heritage Recipes from Portland’s The Country Cat. RIP Country Cat.