Fit Fare

Whenever I think of biscuits I think of Frank’s Smokehouse Restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These biscuits are NOT healthy, but you need a fix every once in a while.

To tide me over in the intervening months I have a favorite biscuit recipe that I make for my family. I have yet to find a better “light” biscuit recipe. These biscuits are fluffy and flavorful with a fraction of the fat of traditional southern biscuits. At times, I have made these with part whole wheat pastry flour to boost the fiber content. I usually do not have buttermilk on hand, so I blend 1 cup 1% low-fat milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let this sit for 5 minutes before measuring out what I need for the recipe.

I always make my biscuits using the food processor and they come out great every time. If you don’t have a food processor you can cut in the butter or margarine with 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
3/4 c 1% low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter or margarine. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and pulse a few more times until a ball of dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut biscuits using the mouth of a cup or a biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.