Christmas Biscuits? Why Not!

Merry Christmas with out-of-the-oven, homemade biscuits!

Merry Christmas with out-of-the-oven, homemade biscuits!

 

As you ready to open presents this Christmas morning or prepare for the big holiday feast to come tonight, wouldn’t a pan of fresh, warm biscuits hit the spot?

Imagine them slathered with sweet butter and marmalade for breakfast today or alongside glazed ham tonight.

Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine sure is.

Biscuits don’t get any easier or more irresistible than these from Howard Bulka, chef-owner of Howie’s Artisan Pizzeria in Palo Alto and Redwood City.

The Palo Alto location is all about pizza. The Redwood City one, with its much larger and fully equipped kitchen, goes beyond the charred, flavorful pies to include everything from house-made pasta to classic burgers, too.

What’s more, the Redwood City one also offers weekend brunch, which includes an astonishingly great array of baked goods. This is where you’ll often find these heavenly biscuits offered.

They are super easy to make at home, too, especially because the dough comes together in the food processor in seconds. The resulting dough is so pillowy and easy to work with that you barely need a rolling pin, just your hands to easily pat it out.

Press the cutter straight down into the dough. Don't rotate it around too much in order not to compact the biscuit.

Press the cutter straight down into the dough. Don’t rotate it around too much in order not to compact the biscuit.

They bake up very golden, tender and regal in height. Just the homey treat you want when gathering with friends, family and other loved ones.

The recipe was printed on the back of Bulka’s original brunch take-out menu, so I don’t think he’ll mind if I share it with you. Consider it our Christmas present to you — one to tear into with utmost joy and abandon. Happy holidays!

Enjoy morning, noon or night.

Enjoy morning, noon or night.

Howie’s Buttermilk Biscuits

(Makes one dozen large biscuits)

6 ounces unsalted butter, cold

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold buttermilk

Additional flour, as needed, for working the dough

Melted butter, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes.

Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter to dry ingredients. Pulse mixture until the butter pieces are about the size of a green pea.

Add the buttermilk, and using on and off pulses, process until a shaggy dough forms.

Remove the dough (including the bits of flour) to a lightly floured work surface.

Knead the dough once or twice to incorporate any loose pieces. Press dough into a rectangle approximately 1-inch thick. Portion using a 2-inch round cutter. Gather scraps and continue to cut out rounds until all the dough is used.

Lay biscuits on a buttered cookie tray. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 24 minutes.

If using melted butter, brush it on the tops of the biscuits as you remove them from the oven.

Enjoy warm.

From Chef-Owner Howard Bulka of Howie’s Artisan Pizzeria

Burger

More: A Visit to Howie’s Artisan Pizza in Redwood City

Margherita

And: A Visit to Howie’s in Palo Alto

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