The menu around here swings wildly, mostly depending on what I’ve got in the fridge at the moment, lol! Last week, there was some buttermilk that was nearing the end of its happy time and I was trying to decide what to do with it when I came across the recipe for these Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits. Now, if you’ve spent any time at all around here you will know that I absolutely ADORE biscuits and have already proclaimed these as my all-time favorites. So I’m not exactly in need of another biscuit in my repertoire. But the buttermilk and a rather boring mishmash-y dinner called out and so I took a chance and WOW!! I’m so glad that I did! ‘Cause it turns out that adding a little cornmeal to a traditional buttermilk biscuit does wonders—adding flavor, texture, color and an undefinable quality that will have you (and me) going back for seconds. YUM!!

In addition to being absolutely delish, these come together quickly and easily which means you can dangerously make them whenever you want!

You start by cutting the butter/shortening into the flour/cornmeal mixture until it’s rather crumbly

Next, you make a well and pour in the buttermilk.

After everything comes together, you pat the dough out, give it a few turns and cut out your biscuits.

After a short bake, you’re rewarded with golden, flaky, rustic little rounds that kinda taste like traditional biscuits but have that added little crunch and flavor from the cornmeal.

And while these definitely kept our dinner from being ho-hum, I think we were even more excited to enjoy them for breakfast, slathered with butter and jam!

Oh, the happiness a biscuit can bring…

Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes one dozen

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• ½ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled

• 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco—if you don’t have it in the house or don’t want to use, just add an extra tablespoon of butter)

• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, well-shaken

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and shortening and use your fingers to work it into the dough for a couple of minutes, then switch to a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter and shortening. You want to try not to over mix.

3. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Use a large wooden spoon to stir together everything until no traces of flour can be seen. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.

4. Lightly flour a wooden board or counter and flour your hands too because this dough is kind of sticky. Turn the dough onto the board. Gently pat it into a thickish square, then fold it over onto itself. Flour your hands again and pat it out again, repeating the folding. Do this 2 more times and then pat it into a 1-inch thickness.

5. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds and place them on the baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they look golden brown. Serve immediately.

6. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for several days and reheated or split them in half and toast them.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from The Harvest Baker by Ken Haedrich.