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Christmas: Four-Star Cornmeal Butterflake Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"I thought there would never be a biscuit to challenge the traditional Southern buttermilk biscuit, but here it is. This will become a standby for you, as it has for me - a dyed-in-the-wool biscuit lover takes a bow! These biscuits freeze superbly and taste freshly baked when reheated - unbelievable. They will become a lifelong friend."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 package dry yeast
◦  ¼ cup warm water
◦  2½ cups all-purpose flour (measured before sifting)
◦  ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
◦  2 tsp sugar
◦  1½ tsp salt
◦  ¾ cup finely ground white cornmeal
◦  1 large egg
◦  ¾ cup cold milk
◦  4 Tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted


Recipe

Combine the yeast and the warm water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Set it aside.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and gradually add the butter, cutting it in with a pastry blender until it is finely crumbled. (Do not use a food processor for this.) Add the sugar, salt, and cornmeal. Mix thoroughly.

Stir the egg and the dissolved yeast into the flour mixture and mix well. Then add the milk and mix again, but don't overmix. Keep the dough light.

Toss the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it very gently for a minute or two. If it is too sticky to handle, add a few extra tablespoons of cornmeal. The dough should be soft and malleable.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 to 50 minutes, but the time will vary with the heat of the kitchen.

Punch down the dough. (If you like, at this point you can wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.)

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Return the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Roll it out to a thickness of â…›-inch (yes, paper thin) and cut it into 2-inch biscuits.

Brush half of the biscuits with melted butter and place the unbuttered biscuits on top of the buttered ones. Then butter the tops of those biscuits. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until they spring back when lightly touched, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Bake the biscuits on the middle rack of the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve at once.

Makes 25 to 30 biscuits


Variation:
You can separate the biscuits after baking and insert cooked ham or bacon between the layers, then quickly reheat - an exquisite Christmas biscuit!