A recipe for perfectly flaky southern style buttermilk cheddar biscuits from FIVE restaurant in Berkeley, California. Try to eat just one!
Even though cooking at home is one of our favorite ways to spend time together, Pat and I also love exploring the amazing cuisine of the San Francisco bay area. We average about one meal out on the town a week, which you can see more of on my Instagram account or my San Francisco restaurant reviews page. Even though there are so many options for dining in San Francisco, we try to explore the cities that surround SF as well.
One recent date night adventure took us to FIVE restaurant in Berkeley. We had heard about their beautiful California cuisine from other foodies and had to check it out for ourselves.
The meal started with cheddar biscuits, which were beyond amazing. Perfectly flaky, and super light, it was all I could do to just have one! They perfectly foreshadowed the amazing spread to come.
After that, we feasted on beautifully prepared salads, thoughtful meat dishes and amazing desserts. As I’m sure you can tell from these photos, the dishes feature seasonal ingredients, beautiful resentations and amazing flavors.
Oh, and check out this setting! FIVE is located in Hotel Shattuck Plaza, a few blocks from the UC Berkeley campus. Built in 1910, the high ceilings, tiled floors and marble bar transport you to another era. It’s easy to close your eyes and imagine men top hats and women in their long dresses walking through the lobby.
FIVE was just named to the Michelin Bib Gourmand list for the 8th year in a row. The list recognizes restaurants that are moderately priced (two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less). If you are in Berkeley and looking for a nice special occasion restaurant, you have to check them out.
In the meantime, you can enjoy a bit of FIVE at home with these amazing buttermilk cheddar biscuits. I was so grateful that Executive Chef Stephane Tonnelier agreed to share the recipe with me. He uses White Lily self-rising flour for his biscuits, but I found this challenging to find, even here in San Francisco. The closest I got was on Amazon with two-day shipping. I wanted to make these biscuits easy to make at home, so I searched the internet for a solution.
I looked for a recipe to make White Lily self-rising flour at home that will make these biscuits taste just like the original. My first attempt was with all-purpose flour, which did not work. To get the light texture of the biscuits the best substitute was cake flour, with added salt and baking powder (to make it self-rising). The cake flour has a lower protein content, just like White Lily flour.
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Southern Style Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits Recipe
PrintSouthern-Style Cheddar Biscuits
A recipe for perfectly flaky southern style buttermilk cheddar biscuits from FIVE restaurant in Berkeley, California. Try to eat just one! Recipe adapted for home use from Executive Chef Stephane Tonnelier of FIVE Berkeley.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 biscuits 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
Cheddar Biscuits Recipe:
- 4 cups (18 ounces) White Lily self-rising flour (substitute version using cake flour below)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon iodized salt
- 2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) granulated sugar
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups (13 ounces) buttermilk
- 2 cups (5 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Egg wash ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Ingredients for Cake Flour Substitute for Self Rising Lily Flour:
- 4 cups cake flour (17 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon iodized salt
- 6 teaspoons baking powder (1 ounce)
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until evenly distributed. Slice the butter into 1 tablespoon pieces. Mix into the dry ingredients with a mixer on medium-low until the butter is broken down into pea-sized bits.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk.
- Slowly add the cheese and mix until evenly moistened. Do not over mix!
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 2-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 12 squares.
- Place biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash mixture.
- Bake at 325° F for 35-45 minutes. Best served warm.
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Go There
FIVE Restaurant
Hotel Shattuck Plaza
2086 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
http://www.five-berkeley.com
That bar looks gorgeous! I love biscuits! I’ll have to try making it with cake flour 🙂
The recipe sounds perfect and the restaurant and recipes are gorgeous! Wish I could pop in and have a bite to eat.
These cheddar biscuits look absolutely PERFECT! Double YUM!
Those biscuits look absolutely perfect and that restaurant…gorgeous!
I love southern style biscuits, and these look amazing!
This restaurant looks so fun. You are so lucky to have BART so you can easily hop around. I can’t wait for BART to come here in the South Bay.
I’ve never spent any time in Berkeley, but it’s definitely on my wish list. And these biscuits – I wouldn’t be able to stop at just one.
Could you verify the amount of butter for me please? 1/2 a pound or 1 stick which is correct?
Hi Kris! 2 sticks of butter, sorry for the confusion!