Some tricky biscuits

At some point after our first anniversary, William and I instituted Saturday morning breakfast, the point of which is to have a meal that is not eaten in front of the television and to have a fun way to ease into the weekend. (And yes, I realize that we could not eat in front of the television on other days, but I am saving that fight for when we have kids.)

As I finally remembered to get buttermilk from the store, and I had been promising William I would try biscuits, our meal this morning was cantaloupe, fried eggs and bacon (for William), and biscuits with homemade blueberry jam.  Here is the recipe (via Alton Brown and my friend Alisa): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/southern-biscuits-recipe/index.html.

And here is how they turned out....

They tasted okay, but weren't quite as fluffy and flaky as buttermilk biscuits should be. I am learning as a burgeoning baker and sometimes cook that there is this weird balance between following the recipe and not. Sometimes it works to improvise and use what you have or are in the mood for and sometimes you should follow the recipe. These tricky biscuits (and my failed squash casserole this week) are those recipes that you just have to follow.

So next time I have learned...don't be shy with the buttermilk, it is your friend, and that we need to have some white flour in the house. I like the taste of whole wheat flour and it is is better for you...but when you're going for Southern buttermilk biscuits, the point is not that it is good for your body, but that the yummy, flaky, melt in your mouth, buttery goodness is good for your soul.

So sometime soon I will get some white flour and try these again!

On a different note, I did make honey, whole wheat bread and that was super yummy! (I forgot to take a picture before cutting because I was really hungry! Thus, the half eaten loaf.)