Building a better buttermilk biscuit
| • | Isle egg crisis |
By Elaine Magee
Q. I am looking for a better biscuit recipe. I love making biscuits in the summer, and I need your help to find one that will taste the same but have less fat.
A. Nothing says "summer" like strawberry shortcake! Whatever biscuits are left from breakfast or brunch can be embellished in the evening with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. I searched to find a top-rated buttermilk biscuit recipe to lighten and found one that was shared by Dot's Diner from Boulder, Colo., in the October 2000 issue of Bon Appetit.
To make it more healthy, I used half whole-wheat flour and half unbleached white, and switched to a less-fat margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon. I also used 1 percent low-fat buttermilk, cut out the baking soda (there's plenty of baking powder already) and used half as much salt.
The original recipe calls for sticks of unsalted butter and I am using less-fat margarine, which adds some sodium.
With 20 percent fewer calories, one-third less fat, 70 percent less saturated fat and triple the fiber, the texture and taste of the lighter and higher fiber biscuits were still great as part of a breakfast or as a base for dessert!
Original recipe contains: 240 calories, 12 grams fat, 7.5 grams saturated fat, and .8 grams fiber per large biscuit.
LIGHTER DOT'S DINER BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Preheat oven to 425-degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt, beating on low speed.
Drop pieces of the chilled margarine into the flour mixture and beat on low until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour buttermilk into the bowl and beat on low briefly until dough forms.
Place dough on a floured piece of wax paper and pat down with floured hands until dough is about 3/4 inch to 1 inch high. Use 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 10 biscuits. Place on nonstick baking sheet.
If you want larger biscuits, just use a floured 1/4-cup measuring cup to measure out 1/4 cup of dough and drop onto nonstick baking sheet. Space the biscuits about 2 inches apart.
Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 10 minutes for small biscuit and 15 minutes for large biscuits. Serve warm.
Makes 10 to 12 small biscuits (2 inches wide) or 6 large biscuits.
