Clinton St. Baking Company is one of the most beloved comfort food crash pads on the Lower East Side, and for good reason. Husband-and-wife duo Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman opened the diner in 2001 offering only coffee and pastries, and have since witnessed its expansion into a full-fledged destination restaurant with a liquor license and consistent following.
Its menu includes refined brunch items like fluffy buttermilk biscuit sandwiches with melted cheddar, housemade tomato jam and cage-free eggs; pancakes with wild Maine blueberries; and dinner options like fried chicken with honey Tabasco sauce, house slaw and jalapeño cornbread—served seven days a week without fail.
Clinton St. Baking Company has received praise for its pancakes, fried chicken, burgers and eggs Benedict, but there’s no item that delights more than its simple, delightful buttermilk biscuits.
Thankfully, the team has shared its recipe for fans to make at home. You can even prepare the biscuit dough in the evening, refrigerate it overnight, and bake in the morning for a delicious breakfast treat. (Pro tip: use the extra buttermilk to get started on your fried chicken for dinner.)
Buttermilk Biscuits
Courtesy of Clinton St. Baking Company, New York CityMakes 6 Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small chunks
3/4 cup buttermilk
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. If you have a convection oven, preheat the oven to 325°F. (Note: A convection oven circulates air to bake items such as cookies, biscuits, and cakes faster and gives a nicer color to both baked and roasted items.)
2. Place flour and other dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined.
3. Add the butter and shortening to the bowl and mix on low speed until the dough reaches a crumbly texture. The butter and shortening should be the size of peas.
4. Turn off the mixer and add the buttermilk to the bowl all at once. Mix very briefly on low speed until the dough just comes together (this should take less than 10 seconds). (Note: You can make these biscuits by hand, without a mixer. Mix the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients with your fingertips to achieve a crumbly texture and use your hands to combine the buttermilk into the dough. Make sure to powder your hands with flour if the dough gets too sticky.)
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a ball. Lightly knead the dough two or three times until combined. (If baking the next day, dust a sheet pan and the top of the dough with flour. Transfer the dough to the sheet pan and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, overnight. In the morning, bring the dough back to room temperature.)
6. Pat out the dough to a 3/4- to 1-inch in thickness. Shape the dough into a rectangle, making the sides high. Using a 2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut out 4 biscuits. (Note: Do not twist the biscuit cutter in the dough. Cut the biscuits by pushing the cutter directly into the dough and then lifting the cutter. If you twist the cutter, the biscuits may not rise.)
7. Place biscuits on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and dust with a sprinkling of flour. Gather the dough scraps and, using your hands, tuck in the bottom of the dough so there are no wrinkles, much like making a bread roll. Form the remaining dough into another rectangle with high sides and cut out 2 more biscuits.
8. Place the pan in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. Halfway through the baking process, rotate the pan for even browning. Serve warm with butter and raspberry jam.
Photos by Mark Weinberg.
