My parents always turned a blind eye to our bedtimes on the Fourth of July. This is probably why I adored the holiday so much. Well, on second thought, it likely also had something to do with the inordinate amount of food available on this holiday. As a kid, my gluttony for all things starchy was really something to behold. I liked the barbecued hot dogs well enough, but my heart belonged (and, sadly still does) to the rippled chips and biscuits.

Fireworks were secondary due to the number of delinquent boys on my block who were all budding arsonists. Back then, I had a snotty side and a nose for law and order. This didn’t stop me from hanging out in front of the house and watching, however. With equal fascination and concern, I stared wide-eyed at the boys blowing up various firecrackers and toys on the street.

After amateur hour, we’d all sit on our roof and watch the fireworks explode over the Golden Gate Bridge while chowing down on fare cooked on the world’s smallest briquette barbecue. On really lucky years, my parents would release me from the Irish Catholic herd and I’d go with a friend’s family to Crissy Field for a picnic that lasted from the sunny afternoon and into the darkness of night. There were always lots of chips to be had.

Once, during my teens, I sailed on a large boat all around the San Franciso Bay. I was with a high school friend and her family. We dressed up in cool thick framed glasses without lenses and fishnet stockings. We felt pretty cool and grownup as we waltzed around the deck ignoring her younger brother. The best part of the night, however, happened after the boat ride when we ended up at a restaurant on the pier. The restaurant was famous for its record breaking sundae. I think there were 16 scoops along with a host a heart-stopping toppings. My girlfriend and I crushed it in no time. We were cool, but not too cool for ice cream.

I am still beaming from this accomplishment.

In more recent years, I haven’t felt the same fire for the Fourth. I often end up in Canada to escape the crowds and noise. Sometimes, I’ll head east and find a remote campsite under the stars. Is it my age? Am I unpatriotic? Some sort of Scrooge?

Possibly.

I knew this year had to be different. The baby in my belly demands both patriotism and buttermilk biscuits. Moreover, we made plans to spend the weekend with friends whose 2 year old likes to party. She also likes eating pats of butter and I can think of no better opportunity to indulge this behavior than the Fourth of July.

With that said, I decided it was high time to find the perfect biscuit. This may come as a surprise, but up until this point in my life, I was using my mother’s recipe for buttermilk biscuits. This recipe, which really isn’t my mother’s at all and comes from the label of the baking powder tin, holds some sentimental value. I suppose the taste of childhood is sweet sometimes. However, it’s not sweet enough to share with all of you. After tasting an incredible buttermilk biscuit at a local diner recently, I knew the time was ripe for change.

I searched the internet, asked my twitter friends for help, and scanned several cookbooks. Not surprisingly, save the use of lard and scant amounts of white sugar, there was little variation amongst the recipes out there. I tried out a few and subjected others to a unscientific taste test. It wasn’t hard to find people to participate in the challenge. And, finally, we have a winner in the buttermilk biscuit showdown.

I found the recipe here and I have my pal kickpleat to thank for this find. It was a good one. The biscuits are flaky and layered. They are also buttery with just the perfect amount of saltiness. And hot from the oven, they were beyond irresistible. You can eat them with a pat of butter or with nothing at all. Either way, you will love them.

I’m only sorry you did not get to indulge in these buttermilk biscuits for the Fourth of July. If I know you, however, there will be plenty more parties and BBQs this summer at which you can test out this biscuit recipe. Heck, you can make them for breakfast tomorrow morning. No one will complain, I’m sure. Enjoy and let me know how this buttermilk biscuit sounds off with you!

Buttermilk Biscuits

9 ounces of flour (about 2 cups)
3 ounces of butter, chilled (about 6 tablespoons, chopped into small squares)
6 ounces of buttermilk (about ¾ cup)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and stir to coat with flour. Now, you need to combine the butter with flour so that it’s, essentially, suspended in the flour. You can use two knives or a dough blender (handy gadget featured above) or your hands. Combine until the largest bits of butter are about pea-sized. Add the milk and stir until just combined — don’t overwork the dough and don’t overheat it. Form the dough into a rectangle about a half inch thick, then wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for an hour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about three times the size -maintaining the basic rectangle shape – and then fold the dough on itself in thirds and roll it out again. This is where the magic happens — the layering will create lots of layers of butter solids that will release their water during baking, helping to create a flaky biscuit. Fold the dough into thirds one more time and refrigerate again until chilled (if you’ve got time) or roll it out to about ½” thick and cut your biscuits. Squares are easy at this point; rounds using an inverted glass work well too.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

(adapted from Salt & Fat)