Ok, so we know about the Cheddar Bay biscuit mix you can buy at the store. I've had good results with it in the past, but not the same as getting them at the RL. I bought 3 boxes this morning to conduct an experiment to see if I could reproduce this legendary treat.
Cooked one batch as I always have. Key is to not overwork the dough so the biscuits remain airy. Work the cheese in the flour prior to adding the water. Baked them, melted butter and added the garlic mixture to it, and basted those puppies with it. Meh. They were good, but they are missing the certain tang that the restaurant biscuits always have.
So I put on my cooking cap, and thought about that tang. It's almost the initial bite a vinegar gives but doesn't carry through with any sour. I examined the ingredients of the garlic packet. I did notice malic acid which gives the vinegar bite, but too much would have a noticeable sour note. Couldn't be that. Saw salt and thought about that. That gives a tang but it's already in the ingredients as well. And then it dawned on me. I only use unsalted butter.
So I just made the second batch. I added about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the melted butter (eyeball measured). To add a little extra, I used a little more cheese than it calls for. Following all of the same steps as previously, I baked them and then slathered them with the salted butter mixture. Bingo. Identical to the restaurant's. Holy hell, this is it.
So there you have it. Use salted butter or salt it yourself. The dream is now a reality. I plan on trying it with Country Crock just to compare. But that will be tomorrow or beyond. I just ate 6 of them and need a nap.
Cooked one batch as I always have. Key is to not overwork the dough so the biscuits remain airy. Work the cheese in the flour prior to adding the water. Baked them, melted butter and added the garlic mixture to it, and basted those puppies with it. Meh. They were good, but they are missing the certain tang that the restaurant biscuits always have.
So I put on my cooking cap, and thought about that tang. It's almost the initial bite a vinegar gives but doesn't carry through with any sour. I examined the ingredients of the garlic packet. I did notice malic acid which gives the vinegar bite, but too much would have a noticeable sour note. Couldn't be that. Saw salt and thought about that. That gives a tang but it's already in the ingredients as well. And then it dawned on me. I only use unsalted butter.
So I just made the second batch. I added about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the melted butter (eyeball measured). To add a little extra, I used a little more cheese than it calls for. Following all of the same steps as previously, I baked them and then slathered them with the salted butter mixture. Bingo. Identical to the restaurant's. Holy hell, this is it.
So there you have it. Use salted butter or salt it yourself. The dream is now a reality. I plan on trying it with Country Crock just to compare. But that will be tomorrow or beyond. I just ate 6 of them and need a nap.
