The Fresh Loaf

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Freezing buttermilk biscuits and baking later?

kahvecc's picture
kahvecc

Freezing buttermilk biscuits and baking later?

So I have a pretty good buttermilk biscuit recipe, nice and light, rises nicely, great flavor. I was hoping I'd be able to freeze the biscuits and then pop them in the oven and bake them on demand, but for some reason when I attempt to bake them after I freeze them, they don't rise as when I bake them fresh. I am using the following recipe:

6 cups AP Flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp double acting baking powder

.5 lb butter, frozen

3 cups buttermilk

I mix the dry ingredients, and use a food processor to grate the butter, then gently toss the frozen butterchips into the dry. I create a well and pour the buttermilk in, gently mixing until just combined. Then I pour the sticky, crumbly dough onto a floured surface and press until 3/4 inch thick, fold in half and press again, repeating at least 3 times. Then I cut the biscuits, no twisting, place them so the sides are touching on a sheet pan. As I mentioned when I bake them straight away, they turn out wonderfully. When I freeze them at this point, and then bake them the next morning (straight out of the freezer), they hardly rise at all. :( Should Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Ford's picture
Ford

Perhaps your baking powder has gone bad.  I have no problem with my recipe freezing the unbaked biscuits for 4 weeks then baking the frozen dough.  I do use less buttermilk than you and less baking powder, but that should not be the problem.

Biscuits

[as cut 3/8"x2" diam., 22 g, 72 cal., 1.4 g prot., 3.4 g fat, 8.7 g carb.]

 

 

2 cup (8.5 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tspn. (0.12 oz.) salt

2 tspn. double acting baking powder

1  tspn. baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

1/2  cup (2.8 oz.) Earth Balance, or Crisco Shortening

3/4 cup (6.5 oz.) buttermilk

 

*Note: Butter, margarine, and “spreads” all contain water, as much as 15 to 30%, or even more.  Consider this, if you substitute these for shortening.  Earth Balance Shortening contains no “trans-fats” and makes the best biscuits, in my opinion.  This shortening must be refrigerated and note the container has only 15 oz, not a full 16 oz.  Not all groceries carry it.  Crisco shortening now has no trans-fats, does not need to be refrigerated, and may be substituted for Earth Balance.

 

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Sift together and mix the dry ingredients.  (Baking soda tends to have clumps.)  Then add the shortening in teaspoon size bits.  With the fingers of one hand, mix the shortening with the dry ingredients, then mash and rub the shortening with the dry ingredients to form thin flakes of shortening covered with flour.

Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients and lightly stir the ingredients; dough should be slightly sticky.  Add more buttermilk, if necessary.  Place on a floured surface and sprinkle dough lightly with flour.  Flatten the dough with a floured hand to about 3/8 to 1/2  inch thickness. (If you use only one hand, the other will be clean for handling other things in the kitchen.)  Fold double four times, flattening after each fold.  Cut with 2 inch diameter biscuit cutter, straight down and do not twist.  Alternatively, just cut the biscuits into 2” squares with a knife.  Should make about twelve biscuits.  Place biscuits on ungreased, or slightly greased, baking sheet or other suitable pan.  King Arthur bakers claim that freezing cut biscuits for a half hour before baking will make them flakier.  (It doesn’t hurt them, and I have frozen cut, raw biscuits for 25 days and then baked them with no discernable difference between them and those frozen for only a half hour.  Ford.)

Bake until brown, about 12 - 14 minutes.  If you use a forced convection oven, reduce the temperature to 425°F and bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until brown.  Serve hot with real butter and honey, preserves, marmalade, etc.  Leftover biscuits may be split and the opened side browned under the broiler – still good.

 Ford

kahvecc's picture
kahvecc

Hi Ford,

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I had considered the baking powder issue, but my mother had the same issue when she made some to see if she had the same problem, so I dismissed it. Though I guess it is possible that BOTH of our baking powders have gone bad. I just opened a new container, I'll give it a shot and let you know. I haven't considered yet changing from butter to shortening, but will do so if the new baking powder doesn't do the trick. Thanks again and have a happy new year!

micki's picture
micki

HUGE thank-yous to you both!  I had given up on biscuit making - going back to Pillsbury Frozen - until I tried kahvecc's recipe yesterday.  I am so proud of my flaky, almost-light biscuits.  (More lightness will come with some practice.)  I do plan to also try Ford's recipe using shortening.  Only thing slowing me down now is how to work these into my diet!  Thank you again.