I think it's being a Georgia-gal expatriate that has made me so picky about my biscuits. There are a couple places that specialize in biscuits here, and though they are fine, they're not really the kind I prefer. I've begun to suspect that many biscuit places think a huge fluffy biscuit is where it's at, but I prefer one that's flavorful, buttery, small-ish, and splits open in the center easily (for ease of honey-depositing, of course).
I usually cut my biscuits into little rounds - the square thing I tried the day I made these was an experiment (ie: I was too lazy to sleuth out the biscuit-cutter). For the last year, I've been using Peter Reinhart's recipe from Artisan Breads Everyday, and I think they're the biscuits for me. The recipe is reproduced here, and though I follow it to a T, I don't think it's the ingredients that make these so perfect. It's his oven temperature (blasting the dough at 500) and his dough-folding technique (which I'm sure has a name in culinary circles). He folds the dough over into a tri-folded letter formation 4 different times before cutting out the biscuits. This makes for some excellent, buttery layers.
These are the kind of biscuits they'd serve at the little breakfast cafes in my hometown.
Josiah's sweet sister (who lived in Savannah up 'til recently) sent us a couple jars of Savannah Bee Company honey, and it is quite good. It fits the bill for biscuits perfectly.
Happy Monday to you!
