Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me The Biscuit That Thinks It’s A Cake
Sun, April 15th of 2007
5:51 pm
Weekend mornings often find me in the kitchen, usually as early as 6 or 7. I’m an early riser and since I have more time on my hands, the idea of a just-baked sweet appeals very much to me. I’m very definitive about what I like for breakfast, and I’ve written about them often on this website. A search of the following terms will yield a number of results: I adore a cup of hot chocolate, maybe some eggs Benedict, pancakes, french Toast, but I often find myself baking scones, either made light and fluffy with buttermilk, or lush with chocolate chips.
What I bake today defies description. The recipe says it’s a biscuit, but I’m not really sure whether it can be called just that. A quick bread that gets its puff power from a triple whammy of baking powder and baking soda and yeast, it ensures a texture that reaches celestial heights. Crispy edges give way to a pillow-y middle whose crumb all but threatens to collapse in its tenderness. Not as flaky as the biscuits I usually make, there’s a yeasty aroma similar to that of freshly-baked bread which makes me think that I’m eating a brioche but it’s much too soft. This baked good’s supple interior is so fragile that it crumbles under a smear of guava jam, so I dribble some honey over it instead, the viscous liquid glimmering in the morning sun.
So flummoxed am I at what to call this morning treat that I ask my Bin what he thinks. He takes two bites and is silent for a moment. “Is it a cake? A cake-bread? A biscuit or a scone?” I murmur, still trying to decide for myself. “I know,” he replies with finality. “It’s a cross between a biscuit and a cake.”
Although a post about biscuits is nowhere to be found on this site, I make them almost weekly. The difference between a biscuit and a scone is that a biscuit is usually devoid of any add-ins, and it has a lot less sugar than a scone. Biscuits are terrific with hot ham or fried chicken with lots of gravy, dropped over fruit cobblers, and eaten with chicken pastel (aka chicken pot pie). Scones on the other hand, are not generally served with meals but are characteristically an afternoon snack paired with a piping hot beverage of choice. And no, scones are NEVER hard and tough, despite what’s being proffered as scones in the local coffeeshops.
A more in-depth post about the biscuits I bake is in the offing, but for now, content yourself with this one. This biscuit recipe is infinitely more tedious than any other biscuit recipe I’ve tried, but if you’re up for a weekend morning project, then try this one. Nancy Silverton is big on long waiting periods, and I have little patience for that so early in the morning. Okay, I’m an impatient person – period – so I’ve cut short those waiting times and freely adapted the following recipe to suit my taste and temperament. Have at it!
The Biscuit That Thinks It’s A Cake
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s recipe, “Michelle’s Southern Sweet Biscuits” from her book, Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
½ tsp white sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk (or 2 tsp white vinegar + enough whole milk to equal 2/3 cup liquid)
¼ cup AP flour
1 cup cake flour
1 cup AP flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup cold butter, cubed
Fresh nutmeg (available at Spices & Flavours and at Indian groceries. You can also use dried nutmeg).
Melted butter for brushing tops of biscuits
Cinnamon
White sugar
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast, sugar, ¼ cup of AP flour, and then pour the buttermilk over all. Wait one minute to soften the yeast and then mix with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap or a plate and wait 15 (max 30) minutes, or until tiny bubbles appear on the surface. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (you can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), combine the cake and AP flours, salt, leaveners, and process on low to mix. Add the butter all at once, pulsing a few times. Depending on how cold (or warm) your butter was, the dough will be pale yellow and pasty or mealy.
Transfer the dough to a large, deep bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir lightly with a rubber spatula. If the dough seems too wet to be cut into rounds, then add some more AP flour, up to ½ cup more. The mixture will be very soft.
Flour your hands and turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Gently but quickly knead the dough until it comes together, about 5-8 turns. Use a light hand or else you’ll risk toughening your biscuits. Roll or pat the dough to a 1-inch thickness. Using a drinking glass or a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out circles. Cut as closely as possible and keep the trimmings intact.
Gather the scraps, patting and pressing them back together, and cut out the remaining biscuits. These “second batch” biscuits will not be as tender as your initial batch but they’ll still be good nevertheless.
Lightly brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter (this will also help them color nicely). Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon, followed by some white sugar. Muscovado sugar would also be a good addition or alternative, and if you have coarse or decorating sugar, then all the better.
Bake the biscuits for about 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. They’ll still be soft, but their edges will be set. Let rest for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
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Lori,
Your interpretation of Silverton’s recipe looks delicious. Although I haven’t tried to make any of Silverton’s recipes from her cookbooks, I can definitely vouch for her skills in the kitchen as I’ve sampled her pizzas at her new LA restaurant a couple of times: http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/2007/04/pizzeria_mozza_.html
I was also wondering, if I don’t have cake flour, can I just use AP flour throughout your entire recipe? Or would the biscuits be too tough?
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Comment by Marvin — April 16, 2007 @ 12:52 am
it’s not a biscuit, it’s not a cake. it’s a BISCAKE! =P
been looking for fresh or bottled buttermilk here in manila. any idea where to get some? i only find powdered buttermilk… i have to wonder if the result will be the same. and i’m not always sure of the water to powder ratio. seems making buttermilk from scratch may well be too expensive, seeing as how expensive heavy cream is. i’ve tried the vinegar trick before… i often end up with ricotta or kesong puti. i’m wanting to try using buttermilk as my liquid for the coffee buns i’m working on these days.
just a thought… for the biscake… how about patting the dough into a square or rectangle, and then just cutting them into squares or triangles… saves you from scraps and tougher “second batch”.
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Comment by kayenne — April 16, 2007 @ 1:04 am
This post reminds me that it’s been a while since I’ve baked. My 5-year old daughter has done more baking in the past two months than I have.
I used to think that Starbucks’ maple oat scone was pretty good, until I tried the one you made at your baking demo, Lori-san. Now, yours is the definitive scone. You go, girl!
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Comment by Eric — April 16, 2007 @ 7:33 am
Can we substitute 2/3 cup of buttermilk with 2/3 cup of powdered buttermilk? Thanks Lori. A great blog you have here! Will link you, if you wouldn’t mind. Will be dropping by more often!
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Comment by Michelle — April 16, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
The moment I read the title and saw the picture on top of this post, I though, “Oh, Lori…whywhywhy must you do this to us, when you know full well there are no good biscuits to be bought in Manila???” (If there is, then you must tell!) There was a time I could at least get McDonald’s biscuits (pathetic, I know), but they stopped serving it years ago. And now Eric has reminded me of your heavenly scones!
Kayenne’s comment reminds me of my US relatives’ creation. They make a simpler, Americanized version of bibingka using Bisquick, and they call it “bibingcake.”
Kayenne, you can order fresh buttermilk (made from carabao milk) from Pia Lim-Castillo. E-mail her at [email protected]
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Comment by Katrina — April 16, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
thanks for the lead, katrina. Hmm… i actually love that ready-mix bisquick biscuits… considering i rarely buy these prepacked mixes. there used to be this chicken fastfood place in megamall… texas chicken, i think? near powerbooks? nice juicy large chicken pieces and WONDERFUL chocochip biscuits… i miss ‘em.
michelle, the powdered buttermilk needs to be reconstituted… but i’m not too certain of the water to powder ratio. i’ve heard it’s 1:1, but i’m thinking it might be too thick? hmm… maybe i should buy some powdered buttermilk soon and test it out.
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Comment by kayenne — April 16, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
I had to travel 2 hours to get a decent biscuits and gravy, but will I manage to pull together all the ingredients and make my own? hmmmm…
Maybe real scones and biscuits should be the next food movement in Manila. We’ve had our cupcake moment. Now, real buttermilk biscuits. Hot scones slathered with devon cream and strawberries…..
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Comment by Mila — April 16, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
Michelle- Of course you can use powdered buttermilk — the ratio is 1:1. I’m unhappy with the powdered version and would rather use the faux butter milk.
Kayenne- I was also very much in love with Texas Chicken’s biscuits, especially when sandwiched with ice cream in the middle. The biscuits featured in this post taste like them but MUCH, MUCH better.
Mila & Katrina- I think I will hold a biscuits and scones party for people like you who deserve to know how good these baked treats can be. And no Katrina, there’s nowhere in Manila where you can BUY biscuits that are good enough.
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andrew Reply:
September 24th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
So are there any places now where we can get our biscuit fix? Thanks
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Comment by Lori — April 16, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
hmm… how lactose-intolerant friendly is buttermilk? i’m moderately lactose intolerant and have ran out of Lactaid. i loved the flavor of starbuck’s maple oat scone, but found them too dry – as in rock dry and crumbly. too bad. how about yogurt in place of buttermilk? very tempting.
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Comment by kayenne — April 17, 2007 @ 12:41 am
A biscuits and scones party by THE Lori? Sign me up quick!
Kayenne’s suggestion of rolling or patting the biscuit dough into a rectangle and cutting it into squares or triangles truly makes sense. That’s how I form my own scones so I don’t have to reroll the scraps which inevitably makes for a tougher succeeding batch.
By the way, here’s my two cents’ worth of additional tip: add some fresh lemon or orange zest to the dough by mixing it in along with the yeast-buttermilk mixture. The added tang gives off a more heavenly aroma and flavor to your scones. Also use fresh lemon juice to make your faux buttermilk – this ensures the right consistency .
Regarding faux buttermilk being a better baking ingredient than the reconstituted kind in baking, I truly concur with you, Lori. I’ve tried using the reconstituded kind – the finished product is definitely NOT as tender as those with faux buttermilk in it.
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Comment by Teddycapz — April 17, 2007 @ 2:03 am
I don’t bake. I lack the discipline of precise measuring.
But Lori, I would pay to have a weekend breakfast at your home. Sound Delicious.
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Comment by Franco — April 17, 2007 @ 7:44 am
Oh, yes, Texas Chicken biscuits! There used to be a Makati Ave. branch and I’d go to their drive-through even late at night just for that (both the plain and the choc. chip were good). That branch didn’t last long, and so the few times I was in Megamall, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to grab the biscuits there. I didn’t care much for anything else on the menu, though. I guess that’s why Texas Chicken is no more.
Lori, I totally share your breakfast preferences. Although I do love sinangag in the morning once in a while, in general I don’t like to eat food in the morning that I could eat for lunch or dinner. And I’m no fan of Spam. Breakfast food, however, I can eat anytime of day. Mila’s right — we already have places for other breakfast staples like pancakes, waffles, eggs, and even muesli, but no biscuits or scones. So if you ever have that party, I would be there in a heartbeat!
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Comment by Katrina — April 17, 2007 @ 11:28 am
We have places that do only muesli? Other than a few hotel buffets, I haven’t found really good muesli (with really good yogurt to go with it), but then I only have muesli hankerings once or twice a year. But scone hankerings I get more often, and when I see those hard as rock pseudo-scones at some not-to-named coffee shops, well, they just don’t help.
I remember Popeye Chicken used to sell biscuits, but they had a funny flavor to them, like they used recycled chicken fat.
A friend from Tennessee agreed that the best biscuits nearby is at the VFW in Angeles, smothered in sausage gravy. But I suspect they wouldn’t hold a candle to homemade Lori biscuits.
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Comment by Mila — April 17, 2007 @ 11:52 am
VFW is angeles has HEAVENLY chili bowl! YUMMMM….. ok… sorry, off-topic here.
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Comment by kayenne — April 17, 2007 @ 9:29 pm
“Crispy edges give way to a pillow-y middle whose crumb all but threatens to collapse in its tenderness.”
I drool at the thought of freshly baked goods in the morning with aroma inviting a good mood for the rest of the day. Pair that with a really good cup of joe, stirred with a trickling of milk, a packet of sweetener and you’ve got one very satisfied customer here.
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Comment by abster — April 18, 2007 @ 9:27 am
Lori– thank you for posting this recipe. Its going in the list of things to try soon. and true about the reconstituted buttermilk, tried that, not good.
Mila- recycled chicken fat = LARD . eeeewww. but apparently essential in southern cooking. I would love me some biscuits and chicken fried steak with gravy! But then again the biscuits/scones with clotted cream sound heavenly. I remeber they used to have high tea at the pen, do they still have that?
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Comment by mrsa — April 18, 2007 @ 6:20 pm
hi lori! i love scones.. i had a taste of it when i was in the UK .. eating scones is a part of their english tea tradition
they eat it with clotted cream and jam.. i am trying to find clotted cream in the gorcery but i can’t seem to find one.. do you know where can i get it 
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Comment by kaye — April 24, 2007 @ 7:01 pm
Kaye- Clotted cream is not available locally. The closest you could get to it is the double cream or even creme fraiche that you can buy at Terry Selection. Imported creams like Elle &Vire are also available in the larger supermarkets and those would be terrific if whipped and sweetened with a blush of powdered sugar.
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Comment by Lori — April 24, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
Hi Lori….what do you mean of white vinegar? Is it the same as the vinegar we use when cooking?
Thanks for inspiring us to cook and bake often!
Vicky
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Comment by vicky paulino — May 23, 2008 @ 10:10 am
Do you know of any restaurants here still serving biscuits?
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Comment by florence — September 24, 2010 @ 6:41 pm
Hi Lori. I just wanted to clarify the measurement of the ingredients that you posted:
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
I’m seeing this fancy letter A written before the measurements and I’m not quite sure what they mean.
I hope to try it out this weekend. Thanks!!!
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Lori Reply:
February 7th, 2012 at 11:43 am
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Comment by Cecile — February 6, 2012 @ 5:58 pm