American cornbread
A modern cornmeal-and-wheat cornbread that King Arthur Baking describes as a compromise between Northern and Southern styles. The batter is baked in a pan or as muffins and served warm.
Modern adaptation
Southern-style buttermilk biscuits
American biscuits · Buttermilk biscuits · Southern biscuits
A small batch of tender American quick breads made with cold butter, buttermilk and baking powder.
A quick bread with a southern association
American biscuits are small, chemically leavened wheat breads. This measured version uses a King Arthur Baking class formula for four to six buttermilk biscuits. Cold butter is cut into the flour, then cold buttermilk brings the dough together; brief folding gathers dry bits without turning the dough into a kneaded bread.
The archive associates American biscuits especially with the southern United States. NCpedia records their increased popularity in North Carolina after the Civil War as woodstoves, commercial baking powder and cheaper white flour became more available. The American Chemical Society places the development of more reliable baking powder in the mid-19th century. These sources give useful context but do not establish the first date or a single birthplace for the style.
Mix lightly and bake promptly
Keep the butter and buttermilk cold, and stop mixing once the dough holds together. Pat it to an even inch thickness, cut the biscuits, and bake them in a hot oven for 15 to 18 minutes until golden and baked through. The source gives no internal temperature.
Flour is raw and may carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste the dough. Keep it away from ready-to-eat foods, and wash hands, tools and work surfaces after handling it.
History
North Carolina's state encyclopedia says biscuits became especially popular there after the Civil War alongside woodstoves, commercial baking powder and cheaper white flour. The American Chemical Society dates the development of more reliable baking powder to the mid-19th century. Neither source dates the first southern buttermilk biscuit, so the first attestation remains unknown.
Ingredients
Yield 4 to 6 biscuits · Scaling: source batch only
240 g
2 cups; plus a little for dusting the work surface.12 mL2½ tsp as recorded
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Unsalted butterCold; cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
85 g
6 tablespoons.ButtermilkCold.
177 g
3/4 cup.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and dough
Flour is a raw food and may carry harmful bacteria; the dough must be baked before eating.
Hazard sourceDo not taste the raw flour or dough. Keep flour and dough away from ready-to-eat foods, then wash hands, utensils and work surfaces after handling. Bake the biscuits through before tasting.
Control sourceThe biscuits should be golden and baked through; no internal temperature is provided.
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or fingertips until the pieces are very small.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms. Fold the dough over itself a few times in the bowl to gather loose flour; stop once it holds together.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it to about 1 inch thick. Cut 4–6 biscuits with a round cutter or sharp knife.
- Set the biscuits about 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden and baked through.
Conditions
Yield4 to 6 biscuits
Active time15 min
Places
Southern United States
Documented preparation · Region evidenceThe archive identifies American biscuits especially with the southern United States. NCpedia documents their growing popularity in North Carolina after the Civil War; this association does not claim a single birthplace.
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Sources
King Arthur Baking CompanyInspiration · Method
Biscuits & SconesSmall batch yield of 4–6 biscuits; flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cold butter and buttermilk quantities.
Oven temperature, mixing and folding sequence, 1-inch dough thickness, cutting, spacing, bake time and baked-through cue.
Equipment list includes mixing bowl, optional pastry blender, cutter or knife, and parchment-lined baking sheet.
NCpedia; Encyclopedia of North CarolinaHistory · Geography
BreadsBiscuits became especially popular in North Carolina after the Civil War with woodstoves, commercial baking powder and cheaper white flour.
American Chemical SocietyHistory
Development of Baking PowderBaking powder made baking easier and more reliable in the mid-19th century; Eben Horsford received a patent for calcium acid phosphate in 1856.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowFlour may contain harmful bacteria; do not taste raw flour or dough, keep it separate from ready-to-eat food, and clean hands, utensils and surfaces after handling.