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Muffins and Biscuits: 50 Recipes to Start Your Day with a Smile
Fresh twists on classic morning treats from the author of Grilled Cheese Kitchen! Whether slathered with mouthwatering homemade spreads or savored just as they are, muffins and biscuits are comfort food at its finest. This cookbook features fifty recipes for tender-on-the-inside, crunchy-on-the-outside biscuits and melt-in-your-mouth muffins, plus an irresistible assortment of flavored butters, sauces, and preserves. With sweet and savory varieties and exciting new flavor combinations—think Quinoa Muffins with Cheddar, Apples, and Rosemary or Orange Zest, Ham, and Thyme Biscuits—it lets bakers of all skill levels delight in fresh twists on classic treats. Packed with tips and tricks, from making delectable pancakes with muffin batter to turning leftover biscuits into bread pudding, it takes time-tested breakfast favorites to an entirely new level of deliciousness.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2017
380 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 6, 2018
I love making breads.
I've always been good at making biscuits. I usually use my Grandma Ashley's biscuit recipe. I've even dared, in the past, to put my Grandma Ashley's biscuit recipe up against other people's biscuits (see my post from September of 2012, The Pioneer Woman vs. Grandma).
I was happy to snag a copy of Heidi Gibson's Muffins and Biscuits from Chronicle Books at last year's BookExpo in New York City. This week, I finally got a chance to try the recipe I've always wanted to try: Ultra-Flaky Biscuits.
The result? Amazing flavor. Light buttery layers. The best biscuits I've ever tasted.
Here's the recipe.
ULTRA-FLAKY BISCUITS
14 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 3/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1. In a large bowl, toss the butter with 1 Tbsp. flour until evenly coated. Put in a small bowl and place in freezer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
3. Remove the butter from the freezer, add it to the flour mixture, and toss gently with a wooden spoon until the butter is evenly distributed. Cut the butter into the flour with a knife until marble-size chunks of butter are visible.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and toss gently until the dough just starts to clump together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
5. Dust the countertop with flour. Scrape out the dough from the bowl. Coat your hands with flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inches thick, with the long side about twice as long as the short side. Starting at one of the short ends, carefully fold the dough into thirds. Turn the dough so the open end is facing you, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into another 1/2 inch thick rectangle and fold into thirds like the first time. Repeat the turning, rolling, and folding two more times. Wrap in plastic and return to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Use the biscuit cutter dipped in flour between each cut and press straight down without twisting and cut out as many biscuits as possible. Gather the scraps, press them together, and preroll to cut as many additional biscuits as possible. (The biscuits from the second set may not be as pretty as the first, but they will be just as delicious.)
8. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes.
I love all the additional helpful comments the author includes in the recipe. If you are a baker, you really should get the book.
I've always been good at making biscuits. I usually use my Grandma Ashley's biscuit recipe. I've even dared, in the past, to put my Grandma Ashley's biscuit recipe up against other people's biscuits (see my post from September of 2012, The Pioneer Woman vs. Grandma).
I was happy to snag a copy of Heidi Gibson's Muffins and Biscuits from Chronicle Books at last year's BookExpo in New York City. This week, I finally got a chance to try the recipe I've always wanted to try: Ultra-Flaky Biscuits.
The result? Amazing flavor. Light buttery layers. The best biscuits I've ever tasted.
Here's the recipe.
ULTRA-FLAKY BISCUITS
14 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 3/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1. In a large bowl, toss the butter with 1 Tbsp. flour until evenly coated. Put in a small bowl and place in freezer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
3. Remove the butter from the freezer, add it to the flour mixture, and toss gently with a wooden spoon until the butter is evenly distributed. Cut the butter into the flour with a knife until marble-size chunks of butter are visible.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and toss gently until the dough just starts to clump together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
5. Dust the countertop with flour. Scrape out the dough from the bowl. Coat your hands with flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inches thick, with the long side about twice as long as the short side. Starting at one of the short ends, carefully fold the dough into thirds. Turn the dough so the open end is facing you, and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into another 1/2 inch thick rectangle and fold into thirds like the first time. Repeat the turning, rolling, and folding two more times. Wrap in plastic and return to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Use the biscuit cutter dipped in flour between each cut and press straight down without twisting and cut out as many biscuits as possible. Gather the scraps, press them together, and preroll to cut as many additional biscuits as possible. (The biscuits from the second set may not be as pretty as the first, but they will be just as delicious.)
8. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes.
I love all the additional helpful comments the author includes in the recipe. If you are a baker, you really should get the book.
March 25, 2022
Very, very average. Glad it was only a buck or so on Amazon.
The author has that "all about me and what I adore is All That and More" bloggy tone that drives me nuts in cookbooks. Yeah, we get it. You're from California where everything is perfect (yeah, right) and you own some restaurants. You don't have to keep beating that drum. Yawn.
The two recipes I made were no better than a box mix and were more like cupcakes than muffins. Gave them to the neighbor's kids since they will eat anything sweet without discernment. I realize the line between muffins and cupcakes is thin and blurry, now more than ever, but this book pretty much erases it altogether.
The one biscuit recipe I tried tasted like something from a chain fast food place. (I'm thinking KFC or Mcdonalds, not Biscuitville.) Not much a west coaster can tell a southerner about biscuits, although it never seems to stop them from trying.
There is nothing hard about biscuits or muffins, so I was really just looking for some fresh flavor ideas for muffins. Didn't find them here.
The author has that "all about me and what I adore is All That and More" bloggy tone that drives me nuts in cookbooks. Yeah, we get it. You're from California where everything is perfect (yeah, right) and you own some restaurants. You don't have to keep beating that drum. Yawn.
The two recipes I made were no better than a box mix and were more like cupcakes than muffins. Gave them to the neighbor's kids since they will eat anything sweet without discernment. I realize the line between muffins and cupcakes is thin and blurry, now more than ever, but this book pretty much erases it altogether.
The one biscuit recipe I tried tasted like something from a chain fast food place. (I'm thinking KFC or Mcdonalds, not Biscuitville.) Not much a west coaster can tell a southerner about biscuits, although it never seems to stop them from trying.
There is nothing hard about biscuits or muffins, so I was really just looking for some fresh flavor ideas for muffins. Didn't find them here.
September 3, 2018
Written by the owner of a bakery, this book has relatively easy-to-follow recipes and beautiful photos of the muffins and biscuits. I've made one biscuit recipe in here and it's already a staple of our weekend big breakfasts. Many recipes end with instructions for variants you could make from the base recipe. If you're looking to expand your muffin and biscuit repertoire, this book is worth having.
March 19, 2019
I have been a fan of breakfasts and brunches my entire life. Breakfast breads are the highlight of my cooking and baking experiences. This compilation of recipes is by far the best I have ever encountered. I intend to work my way through the recipes in this book to find my favorites and the unexpected surprises for my palate.
April 28, 2022
Awesome Recipes
I absolutely loved this cookbook! The recipes are easy to read, very well explained and basically fool proof. I love how the author teaches you while reading the recipes to make. The variety of sweet and savory muffins & biscuits is awesome. Great platform for making breakfast sandwiches and I love the recipe of using old muffins into a bread pudding. I’ve searched for a recipe like this every since a chef at a hotel made them. I also like the idea of using savory muffin & biscuits for other side dishes that are quick and easy. I highly recommend this cookbook and will be looking to see if she has published other cookbooks! Enjoy!
I absolutely loved this cookbook! The recipes are easy to read, very well explained and basically fool proof. I love how the author teaches you while reading the recipes to make. The variety of sweet and savory muffins & biscuits is awesome. Great platform for making breakfast sandwiches and I love the recipe of using old muffins into a bread pudding. I’ve searched for a recipe like this every since a chef at a hotel made them. I also like the idea of using savory muffin & biscuits for other side dishes that are quick and easy. I highly recommend this cookbook and will be looking to see if she has published other cookbooks! Enjoy!
October 4, 2020
i love a good cookbook. loved the cover. totally pulled me in ... saw it for a good sale price and snapped it up. i am enjoying checking out these recipes and i will be trying a few soon. i think it is easily used ... jumping around in the kindle version. i mean it is not like a normal hand held cook book ...but it works. fun all the same. i think the most important part of a cook book are those gorgeous pics!! must be front and center and lots of them. eye appealing. and pleasing.
July 3, 2021
Muffins and biscuits aren't my usual baking interest so I picked up a book to get better and - hopefully - more interested in biscuit-making. I can say that I still don't love biscuits a ton but these recipes are SOLID and I am a big fan of the savory pinwheel biscuit recipes and the meyer lemon poppy seed muffins are pretty good, too. Not my favorite cookbook but a useful one to help expand my baking horizons.
March 19, 2022
I love healthy muffins with novel ingredients and have recently learned some biscuit techniques that have changed my baking to ultra delicious, so just reading the index with descriptions of the recipes had me excited. This is a great new addition to my cuisine selection! :)
April 16, 2018
So many yummy recipes, I cannot wait to try quite a few!
May 11, 2018
Must have
Create for Breakfast, brunch, snack, tea, dinner, picnics, outings, and camping. They are Easy and Delicious. You'll be Successful. Complete.
Create for Breakfast, brunch, snack, tea, dinner, picnics, outings, and camping. They are Easy and Delicious. You'll be Successful. Complete.
January 21, 2022
Charming and helpful!
I learned some things and I’ve been baking my whole life!
I learned some things and I’ve been baking my whole life!
November 18, 2023
Super cute cookbook filled with (relatively) simple recipes. Perfect for home bakers and carb fanatics like me. 😉
June 4, 2017
Amazing
All the recipes are easy enough and sound delicious. Loved the explanations and the photos. There are many recipes that are very different and original.
All the recipes are easy enough and sound delicious. Loved the explanations and the photos. There are many recipes that are very different and original.
January 3, 2023
Fun recipes
Haven't tried any yet but have several ear marked. Nothing too exotic in the recipes so most kitchens should have what you need
Haven't tried any yet but have several ear marked. Nothing too exotic in the recipes so most kitchens should have what you need
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February 17, 2018Fantastic
May 10, 2018
This book has great pictures with lots of variety in muffins and biscuits. (Reviewed by Julia, Lawrence Branch)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews