Charming Chemistry Creations: Bouncin’ Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits are a great morning treat for breakfast and are actually quick to make, true to their name quickbreads. The term biscuit comes from the French word, “twice-cooked” and got that name for the baking method. Biscuits are baked until they dry and hard. Well, maybe not hard, because no one wants to eat a rock, so we will say throughly baked (McGee, 549).

Buttermilk biscuits begin with flour, which is the source of gluten. As we know, gluten is the protein in flour and gives breads their structure and elasticity properties. All-purpose flour is used in this recipe and is not high in protein content. Baked goods with all-purpose flour will be lighter. The flour is added to baking powder and baking soda. The powder and the soda act as the leavener's. The B.P. contains the sodium bicarbonate and the acidic ingredient. On the other hand the baking soda cannot act unless it is combined with an acidic ingredient. In buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk is the acidic ingredient. As previously mentioned, buttermilk is acidic because the milk is fermented and releases lactic acid, giving buttermilk that tangy taste. The buttermilk will activate the baking soda so it can release CO2 for rising.

NaHCO3 + H+ -----> Na+ + H20 + CO2

(soda) (acid) (sodium) (water) (gas)

Before the buttermilk is added,we need a source of fat. Vegetable shortening is added to the dry ingredient to give a crumbly dough that sticks together. Why does the dough stick together once added? The shortening “shortens” the gluten network by preventing cross-linking between the gluten proteins, interfering with the structure. The shortening effect gives a crumbly dough. Shortening is a solid at room temperature and it made of hydrogenated vegetable oil. Do not let the word vegetable fool you. Crisco, a shortening is a hydrogenated oil, meaning additional H’s are added to a molecule. Hydrogenation extends the shelf life of the product. In partially hydrogenated fats, trans bond’s or trans fat are present. This has a health implication, because trans fats are more favorable because they are a lower energy molecule. Trans fat’s are linked to cardiovascular disease. You should minimize the amount of trans fat’s in your diet, because as mentioned they are linked to CAD and common in high-fat, processed foods (Wikipedia, 2011). Trans-fatty acids raise your LDL’s and decrease you HDL’s. High LDL’s and low HDL’s increase you chance of developing CAD (Mayo Clinic, 2011).

Once all of the ingredients are added, buttermilk was added to achieve a sticky dough. We had mixed the dough with our hands. The dough was rolled out on the counter. Even though, the biscuits are flakey, the dough was too flakey to roll out and get a clean circle shape with the biscuit cutter. In the future, I would add more buttermilk for a softer dough. Since the dough was so flakey, it was hard to roll out the roll. The dough was rolled out and folded over itself 3 times for the layered effect. We cut 1 1/2 inch thick biscuits, because they will rise! Next time, I would only cut the one inch thick biscuits, so they do not topple over. The biscuits baked for 22 minutes and were crispy on the top and flakey and soft in the center. The dough was the perfect consistency, but the dough tasted too salty in my opinion. Next time I will half the salt because I do not like the taste of salt. Also next time, we should brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk so they will have a buttery top. This was an easy recipe and definitely something I can do again.