The Harvard Common Press

Biscuit Bliss
101 Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits in Just Minutes
By James Villas
Biscuit Bliss

James Villas has been obsessed with biscuits his entire life, ever since he was a small boy in North Carolina watching his mother and Aunt Toots bake buttermilk breakfast biscuits (and then getting to eat them!). Now that he’s grown up, he has sampled hundreds of varieties from all over the country and baked countless batches himself, which makes him eminently qualified to present the very best recipes in Biscuit Bliss.

Whether savory or sweet, biscuits are the quintessential American bread. Nowadays no bread is simpler, quicker, or more fun to make. Once the knack of turning them out is mastered, they’re easy as can be. The chapters here cover all the bases. Plain raised biscuits, such as Cloud Biscuits and Buttermilk Biscuits, are the everyday classics that have been popular for two centuries. Flavored biscuits feature many regional favorites, including Maine Clam Biscuits and Southern Sweet Potato Biscuits. Drop biscuits, heartier in texture and freeform, include Cinnamon-Pecan Drop Biscuits and Parmesan-Herb Drop Biscuits. And biscuits get dressed up for cocktails or tea with fancier versions like Blue Cheese and Walnut Biscuits and Smoked Salmon and Dill Biscuits. There’s even a chapter on what Villas calls “the biscuit’s cousin,” the scone.

Biscuit Bliss concludes with a chapter on heavenly ways to use biscuits and biscuit dough in main courses and desserts, including Drop Biscuit–Crusted Chicken and Vegetables and Spiced Peach Shortcake. And luscious color photographs will have everyone reaching for the butter.

Book Details

  • Paperback, $16.95
    ISBN 978-1-55832-223-3
  • Total Pages: 160 pg.
  • Trim Size: 8 x 8 3/8
  • Interior Design:
    2 Color with Photo Insert

From the Press Room

 

Praise

“At last the lowly biscuit has been exalted to the lofty position it so deserves in this lovely homage by James Villas. This meticulously researched book creatively explores the versatility of this quick and easy American staple. Just the thought of a homemade biscuit can bring a smile to the most hardened soul, so we know this book will generate tons of them. Biscuit Bliss is heaven-sent.”
—Norma Jean and Carole Darden, authors of Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine

“Only a gifted writer and estimable cook like James Villas could breathe such life into a seemingly ordinary subject like biscuits. More than just a compilation, these 101 great recipes are vivid glimpses into our culinary soul and roots, from the Benne Biscuit Wafers of Charleston, South Carolina to Maine’s satisfying Clam Biscuits. The best news is that, with a little more than a modestly stocked pantry and a light mixing hand, biscuit bliss is within any willing home cook’s reach.”
—Ken Haedrich, author of Apple Pie Perfect

“Biscuits are the combination of the visible and invisible in private celebration.... flour, fat, leavening, salt, and liquid are mixed with some dexterity of hand, poetry of motion, and layers of history in your own kitchen. If you are a biscuit lover, as I am, you will relish and adore this inspiring practical collection of regional American home baking.”
—Beth Hensperger, author of The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook and The Best Quick Breads

“At Moody’s, we don’t think a meal is complete without a hot biscuit. Biscuit Bliss will have you turning the pages wondering what recipe to try next.”
—Nancy Genthner, owner of Moody’s Diner