May 14 marks the confluence of two major events on our calendars. It’s Mother’s Day and National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Don’t get nervous wondering to yourself, “But how can I fit both into one short day?” The solution, to borrow a bit from the hit Apple TV+ show “Ted Lasso,” is biscuits with the boss.
What better way to thank Mom for life and everything else than with a pillowy and slightly tangy quick bread that’s served in bed? Unless it’s taking her out for Mother’s Day buttermilk biscuits and leaving the clean-up to someone else.
Just in case you think that we’re confusing the official day set aside by the Internet gods, yes there’s also National Biscuit Day on May 29. But that’s in Great Britain; those “biscuits” are what we call shortbread cookies, like what the fictional Ted Lasso bakes for his boss.
Buttermilk biscuits feed the soul of the South. Any southern cook worth his or her salt will tell you the two most important ingredients for light and flaky biscuits are flour from soft red winter wheat (like White Lily) and buttermilk.
Here are a handful of places to sneak out early to on National Buttermilk Biscuit Day to bring home for Mother’s Day, or treat Mom to brunch. At some, like Biscuit Love, you can even order a batch to be shipped to your home.
Biscuit Love (Cahaba Heights)
The distinctive cube-shaped buttermilk biscuits at this Nashville-based chain are suitable for breakfast or brunch. The dough is also used for Bonuts (think biscuit-dough beignets) and The B-roll cinnamon roll. Breakfast biscuit options include eggs, country ham, and even an Elvis-worthy version with peanut butter frosting, fresh bananas, and pretzel crunch, served atop chocolate gravy. The Princess biscuit pays tribute to the original Nashville Hot Chicken invented by Prince’s restaurant. Order online for pickup here. For shipping via Goldbelly, order here.
Maple Street Biscuit (Homewood, Mobile, Madison)
The biscuits at Cracker Barrel’s hipper step-sibling get their distinct flavor from the maple syrup that is added to the dough. Billing itself as “comfort food with a modern twist,” some of Maple Street’s biscuits come with the familiar breakfast toppings; others funky choices like shiitake mushroom gravy or goat cheese. The Extreme B&G bridges both, with a maple sausage meatball, eggs, and shiitake gravy straddling a pair of biscuits. Order takeout via the website.
Biscuit Belly (Huntsville, Hoover)
Reading the names of dishes on the menu might give you a belly laugh at this Kentucky-based chain with two locations in Alabama. There’s the Edgy Veggie (fried green tomatoes, mushroom gravy), Boozy Bird (bourbon maple syrup; add a shot of whiskey for $5), and Go Goetta (goetta is a German-style meat-and-oats loaf, akin to scrapple). The Boomer is dosed with mushroom gravy and crispy mushrooms. At the Belly, Bonuts are biscuit “doughnut holes” sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with chocolate gravy or bourbon cream cheese frosting. Order online for pickup.
The Biscuit Shop (Northport)
No place does more things with biscuit dough than The Biscuit Shop. The self-styled Biscuit Lady, Krista Olley, makes more than 100 varieties with sweet and savory toppings and flavors, “sammiches” using rolled-out biscuit dough, and dough-encased snacks like pigs in a blanket. It’s closed on Sundays, but the store sells pans of frozen biscuits to thaw and bake at home that special morning. Call ahead (662-324-3118) for availability.
Flying Biscuit (Birmingham, Auburn)
The original Flying Biscuit opened in a hip Atlanta neighborhood in 1993; now the biscuits are flying in six states at more than two dozen locations, each of which bakes 5,000 of them daily. The signature “fluffy flying biscuit” is front and center for both vegetarian and omnivorous dishes, but the restaurant also serves pancakes, waffles, and breads like French Toast. Signature touches include sausages made from chicken, “moon-dusted” potatoes, and “creamy dreamy” grits. Place pickup orders here.
Alabama Biscuit Company (Cahaba Heights)
For something completely different, the café-restaurant scratch-makes its buttermilk biscuits using flour from sprouted whole-grain spelt, an ancient form of wheat that has a nutty flavor and health-benefiting properties. Buttermilk and butter for the biscuits come from pastured cows. More than a dozen breakfast and lunch biscuit options are filled with prime ingredients (including Conecuh bacon), and jellies and nut butters made in-house. The namesake biscuit dish features roasted and soaked pecans, and maple butter sauce. Order ahead for pickup.
(This story originally appeared in SoulGrown, an affiliate of Yellowhammer Mulitmedia)
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