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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The U.S. Marine Corps, known for turning out some of the military's toughest warriors, is studying how to make its troops even tougher through meditative practices, yoga-type stretching and exercises based on mindfulness.
Marine Corps officials say they will build a curriculum that would integrate mindfulness-based techniques into their training if they see positive results from a pilot project. Mindfulness is a Buddhist-inspired concept that emphasizes active attention on the moment to keep the mind in the present.
Facing a record suicide rate and thousands of veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress, the military has been searching for ways to reduce strains on service members burdened with more than a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marine Corps officials are testing a series of brain calming exercises called "Mindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training" that they believe could enhance the performance of troops, who are under mounting pressures from long deployments and looming budget cuts expected to slim down forces.
"Some people might say these are Eastern-based religious practices but this goes way beyond that," said Jeffery Bearor, the executive deputy of the Marine Corps training and education command at its headquarters in Quantico, Va.. "This is not tied to any religious practice. This is about mental preparation to better handle stress."
The School Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton will offer the eight-week course starting Tuesday to about 80 Marines.
The experiment builds on a 2011 study involving 160 Marines who were taught to focus their attention by concentrating on their body's sensations, including breathing, in a period of silence. The Marines practiced the calming methods after being immersed in a mock Afghan village with screaming actors and controlled blasts to expose them to combat stress. Naval Health Research Center scientist Douglas C. Johnson, who is leading the research, monitored their reactions by looking at blood and saliva samples, images of their brains and problem-solving tests they took.
Another 160 other Marines went through the mock village with no mindfulness-based training, acting as the control group. Results from the 2011 study are expected to be published this spring.
The latest study by Johnson will compare three groups of Marines, whose biological reactions will be also monitored. One group of about 80 will receive mindfulness-based training. Another of equal size will be given mental resilience training based on sports psychology techniques. The third one will act as a control group.
Results from that study are expected in the fall, Marine Corps officials said.
Marine Corps officials decided to extend the experiment to shore up evidence that the exercises help the brain better react to high-stress situations and recover more quickly from those episodes.
"If indeed that proves to be the case, then it's our intention to turn this into a training program where Marines train Marines in these techniques," Bearor said. "We would interject this into the entry level training pipeline — we don't know where yet — so every Marine would be trained in these techniques."
The idea is to give Marines a tool so they can regulate their own stress levels before they lead to problem behavior: "We have doctors, counselors, behavioral health scientists, all sorts of people to get help for Marines who have exhibited stress type symptoms but what can we do before that happens? How do we armor Marines up so they are capable of handling stress?" Bearor said.
Lance Cpl. Carlos Lozano participated in the 2011 study, taking the course during his pre-deployment training that also included catapulting from a helicopter in a simulated raid and enduring booming explosions in a mock Afghan village.
Lozano said he and fellow Marines were skeptical at first. Some wondered why their rigorous combat training was being interrupted by a class asking the warfighters to sit in silence and stare at their combat boots, becoming aware of how their feet touched the classroom floor.
"I didn't want to do it," the 21-year-old from Denver said.
But the exercises — also done while standing, stretching and lying down — had an effect, he said. He felt more relaxed and upbeat.
"Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training" or "M-Fit" was designed by former U.S. Army Capt. Elizabeth Stanley, a professor at Georgetown University who found relief doing yoga and meditation for her PTSD.
Stanley, who is also involved in studies for the Army, said the techniques can help warfighters think more clearly under fire when they are often forced to make quick decisions that could mean life or death, and help them reset their nervous systems after being in combat.
Maj. Gen. Melvin Spiese said he was convinced after looking at the scientific research and then taking the course.
While teaching troops to shoot makes them a better warfighter, teaching mindfulness makes them a better person by helping them to decompress, which could have lasting effects, he said.
"As we see the data supports it, it makes perfect sense that this is what we should be doing," said the 58-year-old outgoing general, sitting in his office adorned with pictures of war and a 1903 rifle. "It's like doing pushups for the brain."
Related stories:
Military suicide rate hit record high in 2012
The enemy within: Soldier suicides outpaced combat deaths in 2012
A family healing together: Amid military suicide crisis, TAPS answers the call


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Lesson: Squeeze more sour from your sourdough
I am far from a sourdough expert. I've only been baking sourdough since February, and I still have a lot to learn about shaping, scoring and proofing to perfection.
However, there is one thing I have learned well: how to squeeze more flavor out of my naturally sweet starter. Here's the basic tips.
1) Keep the starter stiff
2) Spike your white starter with whole rye
3) Use starter that is well-fed
4) Keep the dough cool
5) Extend the rise by degassing
6) Proof the shaped loaves overnight in the fridge
Photos and elaboration follow.
It's a common lament that I see on bread baking forums – Why isn't my sourdough sour?
Personally, I blame Watertown. My evidence? I gave some of my starter to a friend who lives six miles away in Lexington. Within 6 weeks, she was making sour tasting sourdough. Her local yeastie beasties are clearly more sour than mine.
I don't know what it is about the microflora that live in the little hollow between the hills that I occupy in Watertown, Mass., but treated traditionally, my white starter and my whole wheat starter pack as much sour taste as a loaf of Wonder Bread. That's not to say that the loaves don't taste nice. They do. They're wheaty with a touch of a buttery aftertaste.
But they don't taste sour, which is how I think sourdough ought to taste.
Anyway, I've finally figured out how to get the tangy loaves I love. If you're facing the same sweet trouble as me, perhaps some (or all) of these tips will help.
1) Keep your starter stiff:
Traditionally, sourdough starter is kept as a batter. The most common consistency is to have equal weights of water and flour, also known as 100% hydration because the water weight is equal to 100% of the flour weight. That's roughly 1 scant cup of flour to about ½ cup of water. Jeffrey Hammelman keeps his at 125%, and quite a few folks keep theirs at 200% (1 cup water to 1 cup flour).
I keep my sourdough starter at 50% hydration, meaning that for every 2 units of flour weight, I add 1 unit of water.
Barney Barm, my white starter is on the left; Arthur the whole wheat starter on the right. The bran and germ in whole wheat absorb a lot of water, so that starter is even stiffer than the white.
There are two basic types of bacteria that flourish in a sourdough starter. One produces lactic acid, which gives the bread a smooth taste, sort of like yogurt. It does best in wet, warm environment. The other makes acetic acid, the acid that gives bread its sharp tang. These bacteria prefer a drier, cooler environment.
(Or so I've read, anyway. I ain't no biochemist; I just know what they print in them books.)
A hydration of 50% is pretty stiff, especially for a whole-wheat starter. You really have to knead strongly to convince the starter to incorporate all the flour.
For example, here's my white starter after I've done my best to mix it up in the bucket. Time to knead a bit.
Here's what it looks like after kneading.
And here's what it looks like 5 hours later once it's ripe.
Conversion from 100% to 50% isn't hard to do if you've got a kitchen scale.
Take 2 ounces of your 100% starter. Then add 5 ounces of flour and 2 ounces of water. This should give you 9 ounces of starter. Leave it overnight, and it should be ripened in the morning.
From there on out when you feed it, add 1 unit of water for every 2 units of flour. I'd recommend feeding it 2 or 3 more times before using it, though, so that the yeast and bacteria can acclimate to the new environment.
There are additional advantages to a stiff starter beyond producing a more sour bread.
First, a stiff starter is easier to transport. Just throw a hunk into a bag, and you're done.
Supposedly, the stiff stuff keeps longer than the batters. You can leave stiff starter in the fridge for months, or so I hear, and it can still be revived. Never tried it myself, though, so don't take my word for it.
Finally, the math for feeding is easy at 50% hydration, much easier than 60% or 65%. Just feed your starter in multiples of threes. For exmaple, if I've got 3 ounces of starter and I need to feed it, I'll probably triple it in size. To get six additional ounces for food, I just add 4 ounces flour and 2 ounces water. Piece of cake.
Converting recipes isn't hard either. First, figure out the total water weight and total flour weight in the original recipe, including what's in the starter. If the recipe calls for a 100% hydration starter, then half of the starter is flour and the other half is water. Divide it accordingly to get the total flour and total water weights in the final dough.
Now, add the total water and total flour together. Take that figure and multiply by 0.30. This will tell you how much stiff starter you'll need.
Last, subtract the amount of water in the stiff starter from the total water in the final dough, and the amount of flour in the stiff starter from the total flour in the final dough. The results tell you how much flour and water to add to the starter to get the final dough. Everything else remains the same.
2) Spike your white starter with whole rye flour:
It doesn't take much. Currently, my white starter is about 10-15% whole rye. Basically, for every 3 ounces of white flour that I feed the starter, I replace ½ ounce with whole rye. That small portion of rye makes a big difference in flavor. Rye is to sourdough microflora as spinach is to Popeye. It's super-food that's easily digestible and nutrient rich. That's why so many recipes for getting a starter going from scratch suggest you start with whole rye.
Here I am, about to add rye to "Barney Barm," my white starter. I haven't added rye to my whole-wheat starter, though. It hasn't needed it – there's more than enough nutrients in the whole wheat to keep the starter party going strong.
3) Use starter that is well fed: Early in my search to sour my sourdough, I'd read that, if you leave a starter unfed and on the counter for a few days before baking, it will make your bread more sour.
I've found that's not the case. The starter gets more sour, but the bread doesn't taste very sour at all.
The better course is to take your starter out of the fridge at least a couple of days before you use it, and then feed it two or three times before you make the final dough. Healthy microflora make a more flavorful bread.
4) Keep the dough cool:
When I first started out, I was following recipes that called for the dough to be at 79 degrees, and I'd often put it in a fairly warm place to rise. Warmth kills sour taste. Nowadays, I add water that's room temperature, not warmed, and aim for a much cooler rise, no higher than 75 degrees and often as low as 64.
The cellar is your friend.
5) Extend the rise by degassing:
When I make whole wheat sourdough, I usually let the dough rise until it has doubled and then degass it by folding until it rises a second time. Along with cool dough, this means the bulk fermentation usually lasts 5-6 hours.
When I'm making pain au levain or some other white flour sourdough, I usually have the dough very wet, so it needs more than one fold to give it the strength it needs. In this case, I fold once at 90 minutes and then again after another 90 minutes. Usually, the full bulk rise lasts about 5 hours.
Here's a sequence showing how I fold my whole-wheat sourdough.
First, turn the risen dough out on a lightly floured surface (heavily floured if your dough is very wet).
Stretch it to about twice its length.
Gently degass one-third of the dough, fold it over the middle, and degass the middle section to seal.
Do the same for the remaining side. Take the folded dough, turn it one-quarter, and fold once more before returning to the bowl or bucket to rise again.
6) Proof the shaped loaves overnight in the fridge:
This final touch really brings out the flavor. So much so that, if you've incorporated all the other suggestions, proofing overnight might make your bread a bit too sour for your taste. My wife and I like it assertively sour, however, so this step is a must.
Normally, I'd suggest proofing your loaves on the top shelf where it's warmest, so as not to kill off any yeast, but I find that if I put my loaves in the top, they're ready in about 4-6 hours, at which time I'm usually sound asleep. So I started putting them in the bottom, and had better luck.
I hope this helps those of you who dread pulling another beautiful loaf from the oven, only to find it looks better than it tastes. Best of luck!

subset: commoncrawl


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What is an NFC compatible smartphone?
The NFC compatible smartphones are smartphones with built-in Near Field Communication (NFC) function. These smartphones have Android 2.3.3 operating system or newer. Look for the NFC logo on the smartphone or mobile device to ensure that it is NFC compatible.
- The NFC function of Apple iOS devices is not compatible with one-touch connection. (As of June, 2017)
- NFC function is not compatible on smartphones with Android 3. x operating system.
When you use the smartphone running Android OS prior to 4.1, installing the NFC Easy Connect app is required. To download the NFC Easy Connect app, go to the download page on Google Play or scan the two-dimensional barcode below using a code reader or scanner app. (NFC Easy Connect may not be available in some countries and/or regions.)
NOTE: Some smartphones with the Android 4.0 operating system may already have an app installed that has similar functions. Refer to the manual supplied with the smartphone or mobile device for additional details.


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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory infection that was first identified in a 2003 outbreak.
The Respiratory System |
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
SARS is caused by a specific group of viruses. The viruses are spread from droplets in the air. The droplets come from spray when a sick person sneezes or coughs. Viruses can also be picked up from objects that an ill person has touched.
Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your chance of developing SARS include:
- Gene variation in the immune system—This gene variation may be more common in people in Southeast Asia. The variation makes people more susceptible to developing SARS.
- Recent travel to locations in Asia where SARS outbreaks have been reported.
- Close contact with someone who has SARS.
- Healthcare workers who care for patients with SARS.
SARS requires care from your doctor. If you suspect you have this condition, contact your doctor right away.
SARS may cause:
- Fever
- Dry cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Body aches and pains
- Nasal congestion
- Sore throat
- Diarrhea
- Malaise (a general feeling of discomfort)
- Muscular stiffness
- Loss of appetite
- Confusion
- Rash
You will be asked about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done.
Your body fluids and waste products may be tested. This can be done with:
- Blood tests
- Blood culture
- Sputum culture
- Stool tests
The oxygen level in your blood may be measured. This can be done with pulse oximetry.
Images may be taken of your body structures. This can be done with a chest x-ray .
There are currently no medications to treat or cure SARS. Viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics and current antiviral drugs have not had any effect.
Researchers are looking for ways to shorten the course and severity of the infection with:
- Corticosteroids
- Medications that suppress or enhance the immune system
The symptoms of SARS will be treated with oxygen therapy if it is needed. If you are having difficulty breathing, you may be given oxygen through a tube or mask. More severe problems may require a machine to help you breathe.
To help reduce your chance of getting SARS, take these steps:
- Practice proper hand washing .
- Regularly use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
- Disinfect toilets, sinks, or other objects or surfaces used by anyone with SARS.
- Do not share utensils, glasses, towels, or linen with anyone with SARS.
- If you are a healthcare worker, use gloves, a gown, and eye protection when caring for patients with SARS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https//www.cdc.gov
World Health Organization http://www.who.int
Lu P, Zhou B, et al. Chest x-ray imaging of patients with SARS. Chin Med J. 2003;116(7):972-975.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome. American Lung Association website. Available at: http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome. Accessed December 22, 2014.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/sars. Updated April 16, 2013. Accessed December 22, 2014.


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David Callaway, editor-in-chief at , was this morning named to be editor-in-chief at USA Today.
There, he will be teamed up again with Larry Kramer — the newspaper's new publisher. Kramer founded MarketWatch.
In an email to the newspaper's staff, Kramer calls Callaway "one of the best journalists I have ever worked with" and says Callaway "did a fantastic job building MarketWatch's newsroom into a digital powerhouse."
Kramer adds that "David will be responsible for furthering the digital transformation of the newsroom. He will oversee the overall content strategy of the news organization with an emphasis on furthering USA TODAY's evolution into a multi-platform media brand that provides high-quality and engaging content for our consumers when and how they want it."
Susan Weiss, who has been leading USA Today's newsroom since John Hillkirk stepped down from the top spot in November 2011, will remain the newspaper's executive editor. Hillkirk now leads USA Today's investigations team.
USA Today's print product, with an average daily circulation of about 1.7 million ( according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation), is the nation's largest. When digital circulation is factored in, the bureau says, it trails only The Wall Street Journal.
Full disclosure: this blogger worked for USA Today from 1984-2009 and his wife is a reporter there.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Tire Centers
Tire Centers Search Details for American Tire Service
Notice: These listings do not reflect our approval or disapproval of the listed businesses.
It is here entirely as an informative source for locating local dealers. It is not here to guarantee the dealers are honest.
Tire Center
American Tire Service
426b Rte 206 So, Hillsborough, NJ, 08844-5026
(908) 281-7500
(908) 281-7185
* Please note that the information contained here is valid to the best of our knowledge, but could be inaccurate due to a number of things out of our control. You should always check via telephone or your local yellow pages first before heading out of the house to go look at cars.


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If you have recently purchased a motorcycle or are searching for a better option for motorcycle insurance in the area, we are here to help. The team at our agency is committed to serving our local community of motorcycle riders. We know you need coverage that gives you the highest level of protection at the lowest cost, and we can show you what is available to best suit your specific needs. You may have more than one motorcycle, or own an extremely valuable motorcycle. No matter what your situation is, we will help you to find the policy that best suits your situation.
Protection After an Accident or Theft
You may need to insure custom parts for your motorcycle or need the right coverage for a vintage bike that would be extremely expensive to replace. Motorcyclists are at much higher risk than other drivers, even when traveling at slow speeds. The most common situation for an accident is an inattentive driver who fails to observe that he or she is sharing the road with a rider when changing lanes or making a turn. Not only is the rider at risk of serious injury, the motorcycle is often severely damaged as well and can be very expensive to repair. Having adequate coverage in place can allow you to get your bike back on the road, or fully replaced, when necessary.
Whether you own a cruiser, sports bike, motocross bike, dirt bike, moped or a classic motorcycle, we have a range of policies to cover you against bodily injury, property damage, collision, theft, vandalism. We also will ensure you are protected against an underinsured or uninsured driver. Our team will explain your options so you can make a decision that makes sense, based upon your individual situation. As we are local, we are easy to contact for any questions about motorcycle insurance.
We invite you to call us or contact us by email for information. We care about our clients and want to provide motorcycle insurance to protect against negligent drivers. You can count on us to be responsive, and to be focused on finding you the policy you need at the lowest cost possible.
Filed Under: Auto Insurance | Tagged With: motorcycle insurance


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Dear Kiva Community,
If you're a part of Kiva's lending team community, chances are you've either seen or taken part in a conversation about the loans that Strathmore University recently posted to the Kiva website. We're listening. In this blog post, we hope to address a lot of the issues that have been raised and provide answers to many of the questions we've been seeing.
If this is new to you, here's a brief recap: A couple months ago, one of our Field Partners, Strathmore University, posted a number of loans to cover full tuitions for students from low-income regions in Kenya who could not otherwise afford higher education. Soon thereafter, many lenders raised concerns because Strathmore University was founded -- as the school describes it -- with "inspiration and encouragement from Saint Josemaria Escriva" (founder of Opus Dei--an institution of the Catholic Church) and, as noted on its website, the school is a "Corporate Undertaking of Opus Dei."
Lenders have been worried specifically because Opus Dei has a reputation for being very conservative, and a staunch opponent of LGBT rights. As evidence of this, several community members shared an editorial and guest lecture by Strathmore's chaplain, Father Joe Babendreier, in which he states that homosexual acts are a sin. The biggest concern is that these views are being actively promoted in the curriculum and/or student life at Strathmore.
I speak on behalf of the entire Kiva team when I say that we're very thankful to our lending community for sharing their views, along with this editorial and video. We also appreciate the work our lenders have put into learning more about Strathmore and helping us better understand these issues. Lender feedback is an incredibly important part of our work, and your voiced concerns are ultimately helping us improve Kiva as an organization. Thank you for that.
I do also want to take a moment to address the tone of the dialogue around this partnership. It's worth reiterating that one of our core organizational values is transparency, so we have a deep appreciation for any lenders that voice concerns. But we also feel it's imperative to keep this conversation healthy and constructive. Some posts have made assumptions and inaccurate comments about Kiva employees and their ability to effectively do their jobs. This is not constructive or conducive to working together to make the world a better place. As with all of our basic or full due-diligence Field Partners, the decision to work with Strathmore University involved our entire regional team and was approved by our Investment Committee--not just one person. We stand by our employees and the work they do to maximize the impact of your capital.
That said, on a personal level, I share a lot of the same concerns aired by our lenders. The type of anti-gay rhetoric expressed by Strathmore's chaplain is very disheartening. We understand the damage and pain that it can cause, and I assure you, with no reservations, that the views expressed do not reflect any of our beliefs or Kiva's organizational values.
This is what we do believe: That providing safe, affordable access to capital to those in need helps people create better lives for themselves and their families. At the core, Kiva is trying to do good in different regions and cultural contexts -- even when some of the values of a culture run counter to our own.
The unfortunate reality is that LGBT rights have a very long way to go in Africa. In seeking out a top-tier higher education partner in Kenya, we didn't find one that was pro-LGBT. That's unfortunately not surprising since homosexual acts are illegal in Kenya. Even as recently as 2007, 96% of Kenyans polled said "Homosexuality is a way of life that should not be accepted by society."
Obviously, we don't support or encourage these views or policies. But, when we evaluate countries to work in and organizations to partner with, it's natural that not all of our values and beliefs will align perfectly. We have to look at the full package to determine the difference Kiva can make. Ultimately, our Partnerships team and Investment Committee must make decisions by looking at the core purpose of an organization's programs and how Kiva lenders' funding can benefit people who are financially or socially excluded. Strathmore students are an ideal example. They're bright kids with limitless potential, but would never have the chance to realize it without Kiva lenders who choose to support them.
Tuition loans outside the U.S. are rare. There are precious few partners willing to fund tuition loans because of the long repayment terms and grace periods while the student is in school. For too many young people, no matter how gifted they are or how hard they work, access to a college education isn't an option because they don't have the resources. At Kiva, we believe that access to education is where economic advancement begins. There's no better weapon against poverty. That's why we're also working to get loans to students in Colombia, Indonesia, and South Africa in addition to Kenya.
Why Strathmore? It's one of the leading private chartered universities in Kenya, and is a privately-owned, not-for-profit institution. In addition to offering top-notch classes, curricula and programming, Strathmore was also that rare school that wanted to reach out to low-income students -- that wanted to expand opportunity. That's why Kiva chose to work with them. In a country where demand for education far outweighs supply, it's unusual to find a university interested in getting creative to help poorer students -- especially when their wealthy peers are willing and eager to pay. Kiva funding reserves these spots so lower-income students have a chance at them. And once they're there, they have an even bigger chance to break the cycle of poverty for their families and communities.
While these are the reasons we were so excited to partner with Strathmore University, I also want to make sure to address the two big questions we continue to hear from lenders: "What is Opus Dei's involvement with Strathmore?" and "Are they indoctrinating the future leaders of Kenya with hate speech?"
Following recent lender comments, Kiva's Partnerships team thoroughly investigated Strathmore's practices, student life, and more. We found no evidence of indoctrination practices. The core of Strathmore's educational program is not religious. Its goal is to provide students with a strong, broad-base education to help them find good jobs and achieve their dreams. In fact, the school's mission statement is "to provide all round quality education in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility; excellence in teaching, research and scholarship; ethical and social development; and service to society."
With respect to student life, Strathmore University does not consider religion in its admissions process. There is also no mandatory religious requirement and there are no religion classes even offered at the school. (See documents linked below)
The closest thing the school has is a business ethics class, so we sat in and listened. One of the chief concerns about Opus Dei is that it doesn't allow freedom of conscience, so we wondered whether that would come up. Not only did we not see the propagation of any hateful ideology, but the professor also encouraged everyone to make up their own minds, and similarly promoted divergent opinions with the aim to create students who are independent, logical, critical thinkers. Of course we can't sit in on all of their classes, and we also understand that there may be things said in some classes that we don't agree with, but the overall takeaway is that everything we've observed does not point to systematic indoctrination of students.
During our visit we also found that there were many different religions represented in the student body. They have a chapel on campus, as well as a Muslim prayer room. There's no requirement to attend religious services, and if all students actually wanted to attend mass, they wouldn't be able to, as the chapel seats about 100 people (with a student body of 5,000).
Having said that, we don't intend to portray Strathmore University as a place that's free from all forms of hate speech. The fact that the school is located in Kenya means that given the cultural context we described earlier, it's likely that some individuals on campus, including Strathmore staff, might hold anti-LGBT viewpoints or beliefs (as we saw in the guest lecture video). Keep in mind that similar hate speech could be heard on campuses anywhere in the U.S. No institution that invites a diverse community to live and work together can be completely free of unfortunate comments and clashes in culture.
But what we have confirmed is that Opus Dei is distinct from Strathmore's daily operations. It isn't involved in curriculum development, and anti-LGBT views don't have any place in the core mission of the university or the classes it offers. Considering all of these facts, along with the great social impact we believe these loans are having in the lives of Kenyan students, we will continue this partnership and give lenders the choice to support future students.
That said, we have learned a lot and plan to manage things differently next time around. To start, we know that we should have been much more mindful of Strathmore's affiliation with Opus Dei and made that more clear on the school's partner page. We've since added this information to the first paragraph. Please note, we've also decided to add text to all future Strathmore University loans highlighting the school's affiliation with Opus Dei.
Another area of great learning for us was surrounding our marketing strategy for these loans. While we plan to continue to highlight different partners and loans that we feel are doing great things, it's clear from all the negative comments we've received that our efforts were too forceful. This is a huge opportunity for us to learn and work to improve future emails.
On the operational side of things, we've also asked Strathmore to spread out their loan postings for these tuition loans next year. We originally hoped that these loans would fundraise over the span of 2-3 months, but with delays in the process of gathering loan information and developing a robust loan program with a semester start date of July 1, their posting was unfortunately compressed to a single month this year.
In addition, we know that we should have done a better job at being prompt in our responses and formal communication about areas of deep lender concern. If you've been a part of the conversations happening on team message boards and feel as though your voices were being ignored, I speak on behalf of the entire team in saying that we're truly sorry. It was important for us to conduct a thorough investigation with a visit to this partner, and ultimately present a thoughtful and educated response -- and that process simply took some time. That said, we will absolutely try to be more timely with any future responses.
I also want to recognize a perceived conflict of interest since we have an office in Strathmore's business school. To clarify, Kiva's funding relationship with Strathmore is completely separate from our office space contract. We signed a lease with a separate department at Strathmore, paying market rates for rent after a thorough review of various options in Nairobi. And if this partnership were to end tomorrow or if none of their loans were funded, our office lease wouldn't be affected. We do, however, understand how having the office space could be perceived as a conflict of interest in this type of situation, and we should have been more forthcoming about this in our marketing emails.
Having acknowledged that, Kiva is fundamentally interested in doing good where and how we can. In this case, it's about supporting students in Kenya and other countries who, without loans from lenders like you could not attend university.
Students like Lilian, a brilliant, budding computer scientist who grew up in the Masai territory near Narok, Kenya. Like so many bright students, she comes from a family that cannot afford to pay tuition. Her story, like so many millions of others around the globe, typically ends with dreams dashed. But many of you in the Kiva community came to the rescue, offering an 11-year student loan, which was funded in less than 24 hours. You can imagine the suspense Lilian felt as she watched her future change so suddenly, playing out on a computer screen. And the hope she feels now, knowing that a community of people from around the world believe in her potential. If you have a few minutes, you can see Lillian tell her story here.
A few members of the Kiva team recently had the chance to have lunch with Lilian and are happy to report that she is taking full advantage of the opportunity provided by those Kiva lenders who chose to support her.
It's hard to deny the opportunity that Kiva loans provide to students like Lilian. It's also difficult to deny that the opportunity provided to these students pains and angers some Kiva lenders because of Strathmore's connection to Opus Dei. There is no easy decision here. What we decided was to continue this partnership to do good where and how we can and to provide lenders with all the information they need to make informed decisions. We understand that some of you may disagree and we completely respect that. At the core, I believe we're all in this together, and we hope you'll come on this journey with us as we learn from you, learn from experience, and learn how to help even more people around the world with life-changing loans.
Thank you for your consideration,
Matt Flannery
CEO, Kiva


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AACTE Education Policy Clearinghouse
The purpose of this site is to promote access to high quality information that will assist users in the study of education policies, especially as related to teacher preparation. The AACTE Education Policy Clearinghouse is designed to help people access information on education policy at the national, regional, or state level.
Provides access to the ERIC Bibliographic Database (RIE and CIJE), as well as the searchable AskERIC question archive, which links to a variety of primary Internet resources including FAQs for educators, listserv archives, lesson plans, and more. If you are researching a large topic, Resource Guides collect search results of both Net and bibliographic information on a wide array of topics. ERIC Database search covers the years 1966 to present.
ERIC: Education Resources Information Center
This free database from the United States Department of Education indexes a variety of education-related articles. Some resources are available for free online while others must be obtained elsewhere. The site includes the ERIC Thesaurus.
Gateway to Educational Materials
This is a great site for teachers looking for lesson plans on a wide range of subjects. According to a review in WIRED, "GEM evaluates resources from federal, state, university, nonprofit, and commercial sites and compiles a database of lesson plans accessible through a simple search. There are currently over 140 organizations supplying over 7,000 documents to the database."
House Committee on Education and the Workforce
The committee that monitors legislation on education, child labor, school food programs, workers' compensation, vocational rehabilitation, labor wages and hours, and work incentive programs.
National Center for Education Statistics
"NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations." Look here for statistical information on all levels of education. The site includes an encyclopedia of education statistics, an FAQ, activities for children, and a catalog the best search engine based on the information you have, and other resources for teachers.
Online, searchable versions of the popular Peterson's educational guides. Active sections are private college-preparatory schools, undergraduate colleges, graduate and professional study.
Compiles a variety of information relating to government initiatives and educational programs at all levels, education-related grants (look under OERI) and statistics (NCES), and departmental publications. News bulletins about department activities are added frequently. Statistics retrieval is unreliable, but otherwise the information provided seems current. It also provides access to individual state education departments. Searchable index and searchable department phone directory available.


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I don't care what race, species or genera you are, whether you are living or dead, animal, vegetable, mineral, fungi or bacteria - your first thought upon each aching waking morn is how to steal our women.
And who can blame you? Look at them.
Some people are willing to melt whole cities just to nab one choice specimen.
What happened to the future anyway? I was raised to believe that man's technology would one day enable women to wear the scantiest of flimsy clothing in any environment, in heat cold and even the airless dead vacuum of space. Instead, what did we get when the future came? Rap and Facebook.
On the planets nearest our own, life has evolved according to the incredibly coincidental laws of parallel evolution.They are like us in 98% of their anatomy, but differ in some minor part. Maybe they have bulgy eyes, or green skin or an extra limb or 2.
A couple planets further down the solar system brings us creatures who've evolved through cross classes, exhibiting features from the animal, bird and sundry other tangled branches of life.
In other star systems we find more imaginatively evolved creatures
They may be further away from our anatomical structures - at least most of them, but they share with us the one universal need for human women.
On KIX world, the lusty creatures swell their puffed cereal bits atop their exoskeltons to impress pliable females borne of a star system light centuries away. Whips lacerate and burst the KIX pustules and cause stinging searing pain to the poor creatures who merely crave to improve their degraded gene pool.Water pistols are lethal weapons on a world wrapped in an atmosphere of helium gas.
Our most intelligent scientists carry their precious cargo in moisture-tight bullet shaped capsules made from alloys forged in the sterile gravity free nether regions of space. We could use some of these sound proof hydro-sealed capsules ourselves.
We higher thinking males have to be more careful with the inventions we create, lest they too turn on us and take away our inspirations.Here a robot fights to the death with a dragon for the right to mate with a heaving pulsing human damsel.
The only thing that can stop the lusts of computerized machines is a simple plumbing pipe. Higher machines have learned to respect and fear their primitive ancestors.
Even things that no longer breathe need feminine company. Impaled heads can get especially lonely.ARTHROPODS
Insects have a special need for mates with mushy outer parts. Their jagged pincers are perfectly adapted to puncture and inject their love venom into the soft yielding flesh. Once they get a hold of your sister, it's game over.Why didn't future fashion turn out this flimsy? Covers like these sold billions of paperback books so it's it's pretty obvious that there is call for it. Maybe designers feared that clothing like this is just asking for aliens to conquer us.
Underpants man stabs his scout knife straight through the steel hide of the chitinous drooling beast before him. He may have missed the reproductive segment and that will be his undoing.
The trapped girl below is mildy concerned about the snake with the human head that is about french kiss her.
but only in fantasy stories that beg the imagination.
It's a good thing today's animation producers didn't rule the pulp age or all the covers would have depicted scenes like these:


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Whole-class display systems are increasingly found in schools, but are they up to the job? It's important to be sure that all students in the class can see clearly the content displayed, particularly if they are sitting towards the back of the class or have a visual impairment.
This is the subject of the latest research project supported by Future Classroom Lab partner, Texas Instruments (TI). STEM teachers from six countries, selected through an open call, are being provided with the latest high definition 1080p TI DLP® projectors in their classrooms to evaluate the difference they make to teaching and learning.
In January, the teachers attended a two-day professional development workshop in the Future Classroom Lab.Within the workshop the teachers were introduced to the Go-Lab project and worked together to develop imaginative STEM-learning scenarios to trial in their classrooms.To build their scenarios the teachers used Go-Lab Inquiry Learning Spaces and envisioned ways to exploit the potential of these new 'cinema at school' projectors for displaying high-definition images and video in the classroom. European Schoolnet's senior policy advisor, Roger Blamire also shared the latest content accessibility guidelines for schools.
Commenting on the project, Emmanuel Herbreteau, EMEA Marketing Manager, Texas Instruments DLP® Enterprise & Cinema Display said "with a display screen area 2.3 times larger than standard XGA, DLP 1080p data projectors are capable of delivering data and video presentations with far greater details for a better teaching and learning environment".
Project Timeline
- January 11th-12th 2016: workshop 1, FCL, Brussels
- February 2016: evaluation survey 1 (pre HD projector installation)
- March 22nd 2016: mid-term project call
- February-May 2016: classroom scenarios 1 development (schools)
- May 23rd-24th 2016: workshop 2, FCL Brussels
- June 2016: HD projector installation completion (schools)
- September 22nd 2016: Autumn term project call
- September-October 2016: final classroom scenarios and evaluation survey 2 (schools)
- November-December 2016: final results published
- SAVE THE DATE: November 29th 2016: final public webinar to present latest results (Tuesday, 29th November at 18hCET). Find the webinar recording here.
Results and Outcomes
- Final presentation and evaluation survey
- Final results webinar 29th November
- Presentations- reflections from the teacher researchers, November 2016
- Webinar rehearsal call
- Sharing experiences and results webinar
- Learning scenarios - see table below for the links to learning activities tested by the teachers, Autumn 2016
- First evaluation survey - interim results, March 2016
To follow the progress of the project, sign up to the FCL newsletter .
Visit also the blogs, created by the teachers participating in the pilot:
FCL Newsletter
- be always up-to-date with the latest developments & innovations in education
- be part of a community of forward-looking teachers across Europe
- be the first one to know about all our upcoming courses, events & publications.
Postal and visiting address
EUN Partnership / Future Classroom Lab


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Monday, January 4, 2010
Beautiful Buttermilk Biscuits
Buttermilk biscuits are not so much a recipe, as they are a mythology. Secret knowledge passed down from generation to generation, mother to child, blogger to people like you.
This deceptively simple recipe can come out a million different ways with some very minor variations on the ingredients and amounts. This one's my favorite – flaky, but not dry; chewy, but not tough; crisp in just the right spots.This is a recipe you need to practice to really get a feel. Once you do, you can refine the formula to achieve your ultimate buttermilk biscuit. Some like their biscuits moist and tender, while others aren't happy unless they collapse into a buttery pile of crumbs.
In the video recipe, you'll notice I only cooked 10 biscuits. You can get a few more than that, but I only cooked the prettiest ones since, like the dinner rolls, this was made for the cookbook.
Anyone who makes the recipe below is encouraged to chime in. Thanks and enjoy!
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into thin slices, chilled in freezer
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
View the complete recipe
114 comments:
- rosemary said...
Happy New Year chef John! May you continue to shine in 2010! I had the best weekend ever! Made the dry rub u posted on about.com and used it on pulled pork shoulder recipe. I used a clay pot, left it in the oven 1am Friday and went to sleep. My almost toothless mother in law enjoyed it like everybody else. Also did the dinner rolls and they came out very well and delish! (Well the second batch did- first batch was a little burnt and I lowered the temperature a little for the second batch.) Then...The buttermilk fried chicken! My daughter could not find words to describe the yumminess of the chicken. I was impressed with myself. Thank you sooooooo much!!
I want to try these and want to know the effects of using margarine instead of butter? Butter is expensive this side and I normally use margarine if it is possible to substitute. - January 4, 2010 at 1:52 AM
- Chef John said...
Thanks! So glad you and your almost toothless MIL enjoyed it! ;-)
You can use margarine if you want. - January 4, 2010 at 2:16 AM
- redforever said...
rosemary, as Chef John said, margarine will work fine
..... but don't use a light margarine that has a lot of water whipped into it, Becel brand name comes to mind. - January 4, 2010 at 10:58 AM
I love learning the thumbprint in the middle trick. I also like the 'puff pastry' fold it in thirds idea.
I learned a trick awhile back that finally helped me not overwork the dough. I use a box grater and grate the cold butter, then chill it in the freezer. When the butter goes into the flour, you hardly have to do much more than stir them together. Somehow it helps me conquer my tendency to overwork. YMMV. - January 4, 2010 at 1:57 PM
- Chef John said...
great tip!
- January 4, 2010 at 2:01 PM
Hi Chef John! Happy New Year and thank you for another recipe of goodness. I am looking forward to another year of Foodwishes. :)
Wanted to offer a suggestion--you slice the butter thin & then cut it into the buscuits--consider putting your butter into the freezer overnite and then put it to a Cheese Box Shredder--the rough side, to shred little tiny butter shavings into layers. Less cutting by hand of whole butter, less warming due to agitation, and the butter is more balanced into the flour incorporation, but the result is a very buttery flaky & tasty biscuit. This is how I learned how to make biscuits from my grandma who does the cheese grater method. It was the first I heard of it. Have you ever tried it? Just thought I would offer the suggestion since you give me such great cooking tips and recipes. cheers! - January 4, 2010 at 2:01 PM
- Chris K. said...
Happy New Year Chef!
I am reasonably certain that buttermilk biscuit dough is one of the sexiest-feeling foods in the world. I tend to overwork the dough because I just can't stop touching it... is that TMI?
I love the idea of a Great American Food Decathalon. Perhaps you could post your picks in installments? - January 4, 2010 at 2:23 PM
- Unknown said...
Just made a batch (they are cooling now) - and I am convinced all doughs hate me, this one included.
As with most doughs I try to make, it was way too sticky to work right out of the bowl. After getting two dough covered hands trying to work it I broke down and managed to get some flower out, after that it got a little better.
I have no idea what I did wrong, but it defintly took more than three foldings to get it ready to roll and cut....they still taste good though! - January 4, 2010 at 7:06 PM
- Chef John said...
keep practicing! Maybe mix the dough more in the bowl before you start to shape and fold. As long as the butter and milk are ice cold, it should be fine.
- January 4, 2010 at 7:08 PM
- Design Lab 443 said...
This looks so yummy and easy, I can't wait to try this one out... off to the store for some butttermilk.
Thanks for teaching us! - January 5, 2010 at 8:06 PM
I miss watching you viscerally enjoy the recipes you make- it seems to be missing the last few videos. I guess I'm just sad that you didn't tear into one of those biscuits at the very end!! Where's that Chef John who can't hide his excitement?
Anyway, thanks for the great recipe and I will definitely try these! - January 6, 2010 at 6:00 AM
- tonkaslim said...
I solve the waste problem by rolling and shaping the dough into a rectangle. Then I cut it into squares instead of rings with a flat dough cutter—no waste! They taste the same, square or round... delicious.
- January 8, 2010 at 8:50 AM
Great, I will make it for collaegues on my birthdays. Thanks.
ps: so what next? Doughnuts yeah ;) - January 13, 2010 at 12:25 PM
- Hiker9 said...
These freeze really well too. Follow all steps except put them on a wax paper covered sheet pan. Freeze and bag them, bake them layer as directed here.
I will say that mine did not get the same altitude as yours. Still good though. - January 31, 2010 at 7:19 PM
I've made plenty of biscuits in my time, but I was intrigued by your method of folding the dough and also the thumbprint trick, so I wanted to give these a try. I followed the instructions exactly, and when I pulled them out of the oven I just had to stand there in awe for a few minutes. They had risen so high and were flaky and golden brown, they were almost too pretty to eat! But eat them I sure did, and I'll be using this recipe and method for a long time to come.
- February 1, 2010 at 3:33 PM
- ira said...
Great recipe Chef John!
I've made these twice, and they've turned out to be a success. They didn't rise as much as yours, but that's a probably a practice thing. The one concern I have is that after I incorporate the buttermilk into the dry ingredients, I find that I'm left with residual flour, etc. - as if there's not enough milk to go around? I'm paranoid about overworking the dough, so I usually just hope for the best. Am I doing something wrong? :: ira - February 8, 2010 at 1:01 AM
- Jami said...
These were fast and delicious! I love the tip about the thumb print.
Question: how do I store them to retain the crispness of the outer edge while not drying them out? I'm going to freeze some (was going to freeze them unbaked, but forgot), but I'd like the ones stored at room temp to fare well. Thanks! - February 18, 2010 at 11:22 PM
- Chef John said...
i dont know if there is a way to keep crispy. if you hear of one, let me know!
- February 18, 2010 at 11:34 PM
- Greginspace said...
John, these are just amazing. I've really got the hang of kneading the dough into tri-folds; just a wonderfully fluffy interior and a nice crispy top and bottom. I've come to really look forward to making a batch of these on weekend mornings or as a way to unwind after a day at the office. Thanks!
- March 15, 2010 at 9:40 PM
- Helen said...
Hi from the other side of the world -Estonia (Europe). I discovered your blog quite recently and now I just need a doze of it every single day. Today I made the first receipe - the buttermilk biscuits, and they turned out wonderfully wonderful! My 3-yr old son was even thrilled by the dough, trying to steal all the leftover dough. For the first time, mine came out really good-looking, too! Now I have the no-knead ciabatta ready to go into the oven any minute now.
I just love your blog. Above all. And there is still so much to discover for me! I have always liked American cooking- it's simple and homey enugh, yet tasty (even though I don't have all the ingredients at hand, obviously). Enjoying! - March 26, 2010 at 2:48 PM
- Unknown said...
I am going to try these buttermilk biscuits but not until i get my new oven. Im planning on getting a microwave/convection oven and currently doing my research on which one would be the best and who better to ask than you!!!??!! i'd really appreciate if u could answer a couple of my questions
(1) is microwave/convection oven best for baking breads, cakes, etc? If no what do u recommend?
(2) which brand do u recommend? OR rather which brand are u using? :)
Would really appreciate your opinion on this as im keen on making the right decision cos i do a lot of baking!!! THANKS - April 8, 2010 at 4:03 AM
- Chef John said...
microwaves are not for baking at all. Convection ovens are used by pros, but I don't like for home chefs. I just have a regular gas GE range. Other than that I don't have a specific rec.
- April 8, 2010 at 11:38 AM
- Unknown said...
I'm not American and I have no idea how these biscuits are eaten - are they a snack, a dessert, a sidedish to a meal, a breakfast food...? Do you eat them with a topping or just plain...?
- April 26, 2010 at 12:01 PM
- Chef John said...
all of the above!!
- April 26, 2010 at 4:17 PM
- Frieda Loves Bread said...
Thank you for the video and recipe! I made these for the first time ever....Made the colossal mistake of using salted butter! This is a recipe worth making again. Your clear instructions helped me make a light, fluffy, flaky biscuit the FIRST time ~
- May 31, 2010 at 2:09 PM
- Nadine Walley--Facilitator, Coach, Foodie and Healthy Living Advocate said...
Chef John, THANK YOU. I loved your video and my biscuits turned out fantastic. I have been making rubber biscuits and not understanding why. Most southerners will tell you that you need to use White Lily but I found that they turn out rubbery and dry and taste like flour. YOU ARE AWESOME. I loved watching the technique you used too. Thank you. Now I need to work on my fried chicken! I'll check out your fried chicken video!
- August 10, 2010 at 11:34 AM
This video is just what I was looking for :) I was just wondering, is the pastry cutter the only tool for the job? Would a fork work, perhaps?
- September 30, 2010 at 12:22 AM
- showfoodchef said...
Awww, my grandma used to press her biscuits in the middle too - YOU have really captured the southern biscuit. Nice video and as always, fun.
- September 30, 2010 at 1:27 AM
- Becky said...
I loved this recipe so much, I featured it on my site ziggyfoods.blogspot.com.
They were yummy! - October 15, 2010 at 3:45 PM
- Claire said...
These were delicious!!! Thank you!
- October 20, 2010 at 7:44 PM
Outside the US, foreign flours may require less buttermilk.
- November 8, 2010 at 6:48 AM
If i dont have parchment paper on hand is it okay to use a buttered baking sheet?
- November 10, 2010 at 10:44 PM
OMG... I had tried making buttermilk biscuits using Crisco and they turned out horrible. This recipe is FANTASTIC! They looked and tasted great the first time I made them! I love the flakiness the layering creates. Just to share, I had only powered buttermilk. I added the water, wisked it, put it in the frig and it worked just fine. Thank you!
- November 13, 2010 at 10:56 AM
And this time I've been wondering when you'd make biscuits! I guess it took me 10 months to find this recipe. Better late than never!
- November 15, 2010 at 3:32 PM
These turned out perfectly with White Lily! Thank you for the great recipe. I can't understand anyone having bad results with that flour. If the right variety is used, there should be no problem. True, we Southerners swear by it, but I know a chef in Southern California who does, too. This was a very instructive video.
- November 19, 2010 at 6:50 AM
what if i dont have buttermilk? what's the next best thing?
- December 30, 2010 at 2:06 PM
- Chef John said...
i guess milk, but you should get some buttermilk!
- December 30, 2010 at 2:14 PM
- Nadine Walley Atlanta Health Management said...
Chef John, I'd be interested in your opinion of the Buttermailk that is found in most stores. It is reduced fat. What's up with that? I have to go out of my way here in the Atlant GA area to get REAL Buttermilk which is Marburger. Do you have a favorite Buttermilk? And do you see the reduced fat where you are?
- December 30, 2010 at 2:29 PM
- Chef John said...
it's my understanding that buttermilk is naturally low fat since its the by product of making butter. All I see in the stores is low fat.
- December 30, 2010 at 2:56 PM
- Unknown said...
I've been trying for a good rise on biscuits for the last month. Your method was my 7th attempt but I used a slightly different recipe. The result was definitely better in terms of rise but then I went to your web site and used your recipe and the rise was not as good as yours but still much better than my previous attemps And the taste was far superior. Thanks for the help.
About buttermilk...yes, orginally buttermilk referred to the thin liquid left from churning butter but buttermilk in this country has always been cultured with bacteria and can be had in whole or low fat varieties. I prefer the whole milk but it IS difficult to find even here in Texas. Southern states are your best bet for whole buttermilk easily found. - January 14, 2011 at 11:18 AM
Love your video. Thanks! Gonna try making these gluten free, following your instructions!
Gluten Free Diva - January 16, 2011 at 10:04 PM
Thank you Chef John for your instruction. These turned out GREAT. I didn't use store bought butter. Instead, I made my own butter from heavy whipping cream. The buttermilk made from the process has a much better flavor than store bought buttermilk. Thank you again.
Lee - January 21, 2011 at 1:36 AM
- Nadine Walley Atlanta Health Management said...
Wow Lee, Did you grind your own wheat for the flour too? All kidding aside, I am so impressed.
- January 21, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Hahaha, I know you are kidding...but there is an attachment for my standing mixer my wife said she will get me if I behave...Lee
- January 21, 2011 at 11:59 AM
Hi, I love your recipes.
I can't get buttermilk, someone recommended me mix milk with lemon juice or white vinegar and someone else recommended me substitute the buttermilk with yogurt. What would you recommend? - February 16, 2011 at 12:40 AM
- Chef John said...
You can use yogurt thinned with some milk.
- February 16, 2011 at 7:04 AM
I tried your recipe, exactly as you instructed. I tried twice in one night, and neither batch rose. I didn't overwork the dough, the butter was in the freezer...I'm very frustrated. Any idea what I might have done wrong?
On a side note, I did use the powdered buttermilk as opposed to the actual buttermilk. Could this have had anything to do with it? - March 5, 2011 at 10:57 PM
- Chef John said...
Not sure , never used powdered so could be. Maybe not as acidic.
- March 5, 2011 at 11:58 PM
Alright, I'll try the recipe again with regular buttermilk and let you know how it goes. Thanks!
P.S. Love the site! I have no knead ciabatta rising on the table right now. - March 6, 2011 at 5:48 AM
Also, the oven I'm using is really old and I don't think heats evenly. Am I going to fail at all biscuit/bread endeavors? I've tried a few breads and they were so hard even the birds won't eat them.
- March 6, 2011 at 7:28 AM
- Eric-Gunther...Oberhauser said...
My biscuits looked good and tasted great but they were hard. What happened?
- March 13, 2011 at 7:45 AM
- Chef John said...
No idea! cooked too long?
- March 13, 2011 at 12:03 PM
- Apron Appeal said...
not quite as lofty but not bad for my first batch. I need to work on getting them a little more moist.
- April 27, 2011 at 8:45 AM
Just made these, only thing I did different was use a pizza stone. I've always been a fan of those when baking. I preheat the oven, but not the stone, the bottoms never burn. Tastes fantastic, I just need to make them a little thicker next time.
- April 27, 2011 at 8:43 PM
- Gary said...
When a recipe calls for baking on a silicone mat...or whatever they are made of, if one does not have one of these mats, what else could be used?
gary - May 30, 2011 at 7:15 PM
- Neeli said...
Thank you for reintroducing me to biscuits. These reminded me of the ones I made in Food Science classes years ago. I have never attempted biscuits b/c I always manage to overmix and end up with pucks. Definitely a keeper.
- June 20, 2011 at 6:28 AM
- oni♥tree said...
Chef John, is there another option for the pastry cutter?
- July 4, 2011 at 4:58 PM
- Chef John said...
use a glass or cut in squares with a knife . enjoy!
- July 4, 2011 at 10:58 PM
Hey Chef John, here's an idea. How about maximizing the crispiness of the biscuit using aluminium foil instead of your usual Silpat? Lighty buttering the foil does the trick. Love your videos by the way!
- July 23, 2011 at 3:48 PM
- Chef John said...
yes, thats a great tip, thanks!
- July 23, 2011 at 4:18 PM
hi chef..i made your cookies and they taste delicious!i cant stop eating them haha..
but im just curious..the biscuit is supposed to be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside or just all the way crispy? - September 10, 2011 at 10:54 AM
hi chef in this recipe no sugar can i use the sugar because i like sweet one please advise Thanks
- October 18, 2011 at 2:32 AM
- Chef John said...
Go ahead. Theyre your biscuits! I've never added it.
- October 18, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Hello chef john,
great receipe, can u please tell me how much sugar should i use? thank you - October 23, 2011 at 6:05 AM
- Chef John said...
Sorry I can't. Never tried it. Does sound goo to me. Best make them as intended and just serve with jam.
- October 23, 2011 at 11:04 AM
For years my father tried to make a great biscuit, but all we ever had were brittle hockey pucks. Tonight after my first try, following your recipe to a tee, I got the best homemade biscuits I've had outside of a restaurant. Thank you for the fantastic recipe. If ever a recipe was enhanced by video presentation surely this is it. I was able to watch it three times, and was able to see how the dough should look at each stage of the process, how firmly the hands should push it together. I guess its all about not over working the dough, the coldness of the ingredients and the the thickness of the dough when cut.
What I want to know though is how to get a tad more flavor from my biscuit. My babysitter, a fine woman transplanted to the North from Mississippi, made the tastiest biscuits outside of KFC. (Yes KFC's biscuits I think are in my top ten miracles of American fast food, and I don't care what that says about my taste!lol) What could have been her secret? Bacon drippings? Crisco? Lard? What are the best fats to substitute for part of the butter to get a little more flavor to match the perfect texture of your bisccuit recipe?? - December 13, 2011 at 3:11 AM
- 1Bigg_ER said...
Is the 3/4 cup milk the correct amount? I ended up throwing away my first dough because it was pretty much liquid. The second batch was still way too mushy.
- January 15, 2012 at 2:10 PM
- Chef John said...
Yes! Something is wrong since this is not a runny dough at all as you can see from the video.
- January 15, 2012 at 2:50 PM
- 1Bigg_ER said...
well I decided not to throw away the second semi runny dough. I dropped small amounts on a greased baking sheet and ended with delicious buttermilk "things"
- January 15, 2012 at 5:41 PM
- Nadine Walley--Facilitator, Coach, Foodie and Healthy Living Advocate said...
Did you check your dry ingredients? 2 cups flour?
- January 15, 2012 at 8:35 PM
- 1Bigg_ER said...
I found out what I did wrong. I measured 1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk........TWICE!! No Typo, TWICE. HAHAHA
And then I forgot to add milk to my banana bread. - January 15, 2012 at 11:35 PM
- Nadine Walley--Facilitator, Coach, Foodie and Healthy Living Advocate said...
It helps to not drink when cooking.
- January 16, 2012 at 9:10 AM
- Nadine Walley--Facilitator, Coach, Foodie and Healthy Living Advocate said...
It helps to not drink alcohol while cooking.
- January 16, 2012 at 9:11 AM
- 1Bigg_ER said...
I love alcohol in the kitchen and occasionally I put some in the food as well.
- January 16, 2012 at 11:11 AM
- Patricia @ ButterYum said...
I finally got around to making your wonderful biscuits. Loved them so much I posted them on my blog. Hope you'll stop by and visit.
ButterYum - January 16, 2012 at 1:01 PM
Just a reminder to all the novice bakers, like myself, to check the expiration date on your baking powder. I tried these the other day and wondered why they didn't rise like they should have. They were still good just not very tall...I'm embarrassed to say how old my baking powder was. Yikes!!!
- January 22, 2012 at 5:41 PM
Keep functioning ,impressive job!
Golf Gifts & Gallery 553 Hanging Golf Bag Organizer - February 10, 2012 at 11:25 PM
- The Faceys said...
Thank you, Chef John, for this! My 3 year old made better biscuits than me and I've been trying for 6 years. But now with this instructional video I have at last conquered this culinary hurdle and I can look forward to years of pleasing my husband in that one way I never could before. Thank you, thank you, I am no longer baking hockey pucks, I am complete :)
- February 19, 2012 at 2:13 PM
- Chef John said...
happy to help! :)
- February 19, 2012 at 2:48 PM
OMG! This the first time I tried these biscuits. I have tried other recipes but they have never come out right. Although I didn't have buttermilk this time they still came out flakey and buttery. I froze the butter then thinly sliced and cubed it and placed it back in the freezer. I also brushed the tops lightly with butter since no buttermilk. They still came out golden and a perfect rise. Oh and plus used the thumb trick. Thanks ;)
- March 25, 2012 at 7:06 PM
- The Nyan. said...
:) I am an 18 year old kid who has just begun trying out baking- I came across your recipe and tried it out, and they rose on my first try! I admit I slightly baked them for too long so they were a bit darker. But they are amazing! The video tutorial was a big help. Thanks! :D I'm going to see if I can make your peanut butter cookie recipe next!
- April 1, 2012 at 12:22 PM
- DLA said...
I need to make these for 18 people. How do I increase the recipe to accommodate that many?
- April 6, 2012 at 9:28 PM
- Chef John said...
One batch makes 8 so I'd do 2.5X the recipe.
- April 7, 2012 at 11:39 AM
Ouch! I forgot the salt. Thankfully, I eat everything low in salt. Other than than that, easy to make and just the right texture.
- April 8, 2012 at 9:27 AM
My biscuits are in the oven as I type. I'm glad that I watched the video before making them, I am sure I would have been tempted to add more buttermilk because of the very dry crumbly texture of the dough. But after seeing the dough in the video I knew better!! Thanks Chef John for the excellent video instructions!
- April 11, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Made these this morning & served them with maple cured Berkshire ham.
They were buttery, flaky, layery goodness.
Your Newest Fan c"| - April 28, 2012 at 11:44 AM
I made them this morning. (and it was my first time making it) They turned out perfect as your pictures. My husband absolutely loved them! Thanks for the recipe! :)
- May 5, 2012 at 12:19 PM
Made the biscuits for dinner this evening. They were yummy, but they did not rise like the ones in your picture. How do I fix it?
- May 10, 2012 at 6:55 PM
Hello, Chief John! I'm from Brasil and I lived in USA (NC) for a whole year. I was addicted to biscuits and I have missed it so bad for the last 5 years. I don't know why but I had never looked it up on google to get a recipe or something... I guess I always thought it took some "special american ingredient" and looking at your recipe I realized there is not! It's hard to find buttermilk here but there is actually a way of making it: mixing a large cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemom juice! I cannot wait to try this & I'm so excited!
- May 23, 2012 at 11:41 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi chef John. I love all your videos. I had tried to make biscuits before for my kids with butter and shortening. Guess what? ...they are went into the trash can. I hate the taste of shortening. I will definitely try to make yours, simple and tasty. Thank you.
- August 5, 2012 at 9:41 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi chef John. I love all your videos. I had tried to make biscuits before for my kids with butter and shortening. Guess what? ...they are went into the trash can. I hate the taste of shortening. I will definitely try to make yours, simple and tasty. Thank you.
- August 5, 2012 at 9:41 PM
Made these today and other than rolling the dough out a little too thin they turned out great! My grandmother would have been proud.
Steve - September 23, 2012 at 8:48 AM
If you "twist" your cutter when pressing down, your biscuits won't rise as well as pushing it straight down. :)
- October 14, 2012 at 9:15 PM
- Chels said...
This recipe and technique, has changed my life. Every time I make these, they get major compliments and disappear rapidly. I always send people to your site. Thanks so much!
- November 27, 2012 at 3:27 PM
- Wayne Whitted said...
I used your recipe and video to make some buttermilk biscuits. The first time I tried it they turned out flat and then I realized my flour and baking powder was old. Made a new batch and t5hey turned out fantastic!
- December 20, 2012 at 3:46 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi chef,,I'm from Indonesia,first of all I want to thank u for the recipe,,I have already try this chef,but I dont know exactly the right texture and taste,would u mind to tell me please,,^^
- January 14, 2013 at 1:51 PM
- Chef John said...
Sorry, but no way to describe such subjective things!
- January 14, 2013 at 1:56 PM
- Unknown said...
Really enjoying your blog. It's inspring me to bake things for myself.
- August 17, 2013 at 7:51 PM
- Unknown said...
hi! i would like to add some raisins to this recipe. how do you think that would turn out??
- January 7, 2014 at 2:17 PM
- Juicing One Day At A Time said...
I forgot and used salted butter and then added the teaspoon of salt. So they were a tad bit salty. Very good though. My husband thought they were good. I froze 1/2 of them for another time. They should really rise up next time I bake them!
- March 25, 2014 at 11:01 AM
- Unknown said...
Is it required to fold the dough? I just took my hand and made sure everything is mixed.
- August 12, 2014 at 10:44 AM
- Unknown said...
Getting pretty good at this recipe which makes me a better American
- February 22, 2015 at 8:50 PM
- Unknown said...
Chef this was an amazing experience and the biscuits were so good! !
- August 13, 2016 at 12:17 AM
- Unknown said...
Can you store these in the freezer?
Will they still turn out OK? - December 24, 2016 at 10:58 PM
I made these with a food processor and they turned out great. Any reason not to do this? Seems much easier.
- January 30, 2017 at 7:33 AM
- Mady said...
Chef John - You are, by far, the best Chef on the internet. You know what you are doing - my question is:
Regarding Buttermilk: You said to substitute buttermilk - Add yogurt to milk -
How much yogurt to milk? Also, would this be plain yogurt?
I assume you are not a fan of adding lemon juice to milk as a substitute.
Thanks, Madeline - March 16, 2017 at 3:29 PM
- Unknown said...
Hello, Chief John! I'm from canada and I lived in USA (NC) for a whole year. I was addicted to biscuits and I have missed it so bad for the last 4 years.I used your recipe and video to make some buttermilk biscuits. The first time I tried it they turned out flat and then I realized my flour and baking powder was old. Made a new batch and they turned out fantastic!
- May 4, 2017 at 8:29 AM
- Loctuz said...
A perfect recipe!
- August 20, 2017 at 1:18 PM
- Spoo said...
Made these twice in the last week. With the help of my 7 year old, who did most of the folding and kneading, these still came out PERFECTLY just like the pictures and video!!! The videos are so helpful!!! They were delicious and were gone very quickly! Thank you for a perfect recipe and instructions!!!!
- November 29, 2017 at 9:32 PM
- Unknown said...
- June 28, 2018 at 4:28 PM
- Unknown said...
FYI for people at high altitude - We live at 5000ft and these turned out like very dry fall apart...yet, crispy crackers. A few other recipes we found used a lot more baking powder and soda. For high altitude, I suggest doubling the baking powder and soda and using 1/4 more buttermilk.
- December 23, 2018 at 9:41 PM
- Dragonphire said...
What are the other 9? Maybe you should do a Great American Food Decathlon challenge, you know, because internet.
- February 21, 2019 at 6:28 PM
- Unknown said...
Chef John (or anyone really) - if you're making a large batch of these, do you double the ingredients in the recipe or do you make 2 separate batches? I've made these several times but never a double batch and I'm wondering if twice as much dough would be too hard to handle and fold.
Thanks in advance! - August 12, 2019 at 9:14 AM
- Kris Hodges said...
Can I use self rising flour instead of all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt?
- October 27, 2019 at 3:28 PM