May 27, 2019

Buttermilk Biscuits by CHLB


Apparently National Buttermilk Biscuit Day was May 14 so I'm a bit late to the game this year.  I just returned from a trip down South, to Charleston, SC, and had to share some pictures of Callie's Hot Little Biscuits (or CHLB).   It's located in the tiniest sliver of a shop on Upper King Street but produces some of the best biscuits I've ever tasted.  The first day I visited was a bit of a queue but the promise of delicious southern biscuits made it worth the wait.


I love that on the wall of the shop they've literally painted the recipe for their famous buttermilk biscuits.  How cute is that?  Back in March I made their Cheese & Chive Biscuits so for this post I made the original buttermilk that started the CHLB phenomenon.  The employees were so kind when I bombarded them with questions.  They said the key was to use White Lily Unbleached Self-Rising Flour (with the red label!) and to work the flour and butter first, until it's like the texture of grated parmesan cheese, and THEN, work in the cream cheese.  Previously I'd mixed the butter and cream cheese together with the flour.



As is the custom whenever I travel I always try to bring back a baking souvenir.  On this trip I brought four 5-lb bags of the White Lily flour.  Yes, call me crazy, but it's so expensive to buy in the West Coast!  I literally had to go to several supermarkets to find the unbleached self-rising flour but eventually found success at a Walmart Supercenter in Mount Pleasant.




While Callie's biscuits are the ultimate, I think mine come pretty darn close.  I love to eat them warm with butter or homemade jam but I've also started to serve them with some pimento cheese.  You better believe I brought back some of that Southern delicacy with me as well!  

May 4, 2019

Potato Burger Buns


After being away from home for a while the first thing I wanted to do was bake, but what to make?  Overindulging in European sweets and pastries the last few weeks had me craving something savory.  While browsing through the May/June 2019 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine it was the recipe for Sloppy Joes that caught my eye.  But it was the idea of making Potato Burger Buns from scratch that got me excited.   Now I know that many of you may be asking, "why bother making the buns when you can easily buy them?" But to that I say, "why ever not?


If you've made bread rolls before then this recipe will be child's play for you.  If you've new to bread making I still stand by my belief that it's not as hard as you might think.  The most challenging step is to mash some boiled potatoes and that's not hard at all!


After tasting the soft and tender homemade burger buns I don't know that I'll be buying them from the store any longer, especially since they were so so simple to make.  In fact, I think I'll make another batch to keep in my freezer.  You never know when you might get a craving for a hamburger.

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