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Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 1, 2009

Yield

Makes enough for 1 pot-pie recipe

Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface1 cup fine-ground cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

Before You Begin

Mixing the butter and dry ingredients quickly so the butter remains col and firm is crucial to producing light, tender biscuits. Make sure that your butter is well chilled before mixing it into the dry ingredients. If your kitchen is exceptionally warm, you may want to chill the flour along with the butter.

Instructions

  1. Pulse the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter pieces, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 10 1-second pulses.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl; add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough gathers into moist clumps. Following the illustrations below, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and form into a rough ball. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 to 12 rounds of dough. Space the biscuits evenly over the filling in the baking dish. If making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish.
Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping

Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Makes enough for 1 pot-pie recipe

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup fine-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup fine-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup fine-ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed

Test Kitchen Techniques

Before You Begin

Mixing the butter and dry ingredients quickly so the butter remains col and firm is crucial to producing light, tender biscuits. Make sure that your butter is well chilled before mixing it into the dry ingredients. If your kitchen is exceptionally warm, you may want to chill the flour along with the butter.

Instructions

  1. Pulse the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter pieces, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 10 1-second pulses.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl; add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough gathers into moist clumps. Following the illustrations below, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and form into a rough ball. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 to 12 rounds of dough. Space the biscuits evenly over the filling in the baking dish. If making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish.

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