How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (220º C)., Cut six tablespoons butter into small squares and freeze them for 5-10 minutes., Measure out your dry ingredients as the butter is freezing., Cut the cold butter into the flour using your favorite...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (220º C).
Biscuits need to cook quickly to puff up, allowing the outside to crisp while the inside stays soft, flaky and doughy.
High heat will accomplish this with flying colors. -
Step 2: Cut six tablespoons butter into small squares and freeze them for 5-10 minutes.
The butter needs to be hard when it is cut into the four.
This keeps it in hard layers that separate the flour, creating the flaky biscuit layers as the butter quickly melts, forming air pockets in the biscuit.
This only happens with cold, near-frozen butter.
If you don't have a pastry knife, a capital D-shaped tool with 4-5 thin wire blades, you can put your two best kitchen knives in the freezer as well. , Grab your 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. and mix them together in a large mixing bowl.
Use a fork, whisk, or mesh strainer to get any clumps out.
Even consistency (no lumps) and well mixed dry ingredients will lead to better biscuits every time. , Your goal is to cut the butter into small, thin chunks without heating it up too much.
This coats all the butter in flour and creates air pockets.
As such, you want to keep your hands away from it as much as possible, otherwise, you'll get dense, unenjoyable biscuits.
The final mixture should have smaller, 1/2 cm cuts of butter and resemble a crumb topping on a pie.
You have a few options, but should always work quickly to avoid extra heat:
Pastry Knife:
This tool has several thin wire blades, letting you easily cut the butter into small pieces quickly, with minimal friction.
It is a D-shaped tool.
Manual Cutting:
Take your two sharpest knives and use them to make X-shaped cuts into the bottom of the bowl, sifting to get the butter near the blades and cut effectively.
Food Processor:
Go gently, on the lowest setting, stopping when you still have relatively large (1/2
- 1cm in width) chunks of butter. , Start with a cup, but know that you may want to add a little more if the dough is sticky and hard to work with.
Remember to work with cold buttermilk, not room temperature, to keep the butter from melting.
No Buttermilk? No problem! Substitute 1 cup milk + 1 TB lemon juice or vinegar, or substitute a cup of plain, full-fat yogurt., You want to stir as gently, and as little, as possible.
Use your fingers to start working in the flour at the edge of the well.
Slowly incorporate more and more flour in with a gently scooping motion, pulling flour from the outside into the center.
Never knead biscuit dough unless you want hard, dense cakes.When done, you want a shaggy, loose, and wet dough.
It should be a bit sticky, and not fully formed.
This is good.
You will have to do some light pressing and mixing to get all the liquid in, but try to do as little work as possible to get a roughly consistent ball of dough. , Sprinkle some flour on a large cutting board or other kitchen surface and plop the dough down.
Pour any shaggy bits of dough on top of the dough before working. , You can massage the dough from the edges out or use a rolling pin to evenly spread it out.
Either way, take your time for the best biscuits.
Physically working dough creates breaks down flour, creating rubbery strands of gluten that lead to denser, heavier breads.
Sprinkle some flour on your hands or the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
For now, don't worry about a perfectly even thickness.
Just keep working it until it is close, then move on. , Again, work slowly, methodically, and without excess force.
Don't worry about getting it just perfect.
If the dough is sticking to the surface, add a little flour and flip it over to work on the other side. , More folds equal more flakes, but there is a limit
-- too much folding can lead to you overworking the dough.
Everyone has their own preferences and style, so the best thing to do is stick to 4-5 total folds the first time, testing the biscuits, and adjusting next time.
When done, you should have a nice square of dough, roughly 1/2 inch thick. , You can use a knife or a specialty cutter, but the floured rim of a drinking glass makes perfectly shaped biscuits every time.
Note that, in general, smaller biscuits are easier to cook to perfection, since they take less time and retain their moist interior better.
Don't twist the cutter as you pull it out of the dough.
This seals up the edges of the biscuit, which need to be open to get air and steam inside., The first batch you cut out will always be best, but the "scrape" dough is still delicious.
You could also try a few "drop" biscuits, which are shaggy, barely formed balls of dough that resemble scones more than their flat biscuit brethren., If you have parchment paper or a nonstick, oven-safe pan, this will do as well.
How you place your biscuits, as well, will impact the final product:
For higher, taller biscuits place the biscuits so that they are touching, preferably also touching the edges of a lipped pan or dish.
Cast-iron pans work well.
For wider, shorter biscuits separate the biscuits by 1-2 inches apiece., This can help them develop the wonderful golden brown sheen of the best biscuits.
It also doesn't hurt the taste, giving them added richness.
For truly decadent bakers, you can also drizzle a little sugar into the butter for a sweet kick.
In a pinch, a light brush of water, milk, or a whipped egg will also help them cook with a crispy golden top., When done, the tops and sides should be golden brown.
The sides will be yellow-white, and still a little soft.
If you have an uneven cooking oven, or just want to be sure they cook well, quickly turn them once while cooking.
Put them on the highest rack possible for the best, most golden-brown tops., Biscuits are meant, always, to be served hot, and they lose their wonder when they cool.
Still, give them 2-3 minutes out the oven to finish cooking, let the steam build up the flakes inside, and prevent burnt tongues. , -
Step 3: Measure out your dry ingredients as the butter is freezing.
-
Step 4: Cut the cold butter into the flour using your favorite method
-
Step 5: aiming for a crumbly consistency.
-
Step 6: Create a "well" or hole in the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk.
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Step 7: Gently fold the buttermilk until you have a shaggy wet dough.
-
Step 8: Lay dough out on a well-floured work surface.
-
Step 9: Using your fingers or a rolling pin
-
Step 10: gently spread the dough out until it is roughly a 1/2-inch thick.
-
Step 11: Fold the dough in half
-
Step 12: then again spread it until it is roughly 1/2-inch thick.
-
Step 13: Repeat this folding and flattening 4-6 more times.
-
Step 14: Using the lip of a glass cup
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Step 15: cut the dough into individual rounds.
-
Step 16: Lightly re-flatten any excess dough
-
Step 17: fold & flatten it once more
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Step 18: and then make the last few biscuits.
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Step 19: Place the biscuits on a lightly floured or buttered baking sheet or dish.
-
Step 20: Optionally
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Step 21: drizzle some melted butter on top of each biscuit before cooking.
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Step 22: Cook the biscuits for 10-12 minutes.
-
Step 23: Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes before serving.
-
Step 24: Finished.
Detailed Guide
Biscuits need to cook quickly to puff up, allowing the outside to crisp while the inside stays soft, flaky and doughy.
High heat will accomplish this with flying colors.
The butter needs to be hard when it is cut into the four.
This keeps it in hard layers that separate the flour, creating the flaky biscuit layers as the butter quickly melts, forming air pockets in the biscuit.
This only happens with cold, near-frozen butter.
If you don't have a pastry knife, a capital D-shaped tool with 4-5 thin wire blades, you can put your two best kitchen knives in the freezer as well. , Grab your 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. and mix them together in a large mixing bowl.
Use a fork, whisk, or mesh strainer to get any clumps out.
Even consistency (no lumps) and well mixed dry ingredients will lead to better biscuits every time. , Your goal is to cut the butter into small, thin chunks without heating it up too much.
This coats all the butter in flour and creates air pockets.
As such, you want to keep your hands away from it as much as possible, otherwise, you'll get dense, unenjoyable biscuits.
The final mixture should have smaller, 1/2 cm cuts of butter and resemble a crumb topping on a pie.
You have a few options, but should always work quickly to avoid extra heat:
Pastry Knife:
This tool has several thin wire blades, letting you easily cut the butter into small pieces quickly, with minimal friction.
It is a D-shaped tool.
Manual Cutting:
Take your two sharpest knives and use them to make X-shaped cuts into the bottom of the bowl, sifting to get the butter near the blades and cut effectively.
Food Processor:
Go gently, on the lowest setting, stopping when you still have relatively large (1/2
- 1cm in width) chunks of butter. , Start with a cup, but know that you may want to add a little more if the dough is sticky and hard to work with.
Remember to work with cold buttermilk, not room temperature, to keep the butter from melting.
No Buttermilk? No problem! Substitute 1 cup milk + 1 TB lemon juice or vinegar, or substitute a cup of plain, full-fat yogurt., You want to stir as gently, and as little, as possible.
Use your fingers to start working in the flour at the edge of the well.
Slowly incorporate more and more flour in with a gently scooping motion, pulling flour from the outside into the center.
Never knead biscuit dough unless you want hard, dense cakes.When done, you want a shaggy, loose, and wet dough.
It should be a bit sticky, and not fully formed.
This is good.
You will have to do some light pressing and mixing to get all the liquid in, but try to do as little work as possible to get a roughly consistent ball of dough. , Sprinkle some flour on a large cutting board or other kitchen surface and plop the dough down.
Pour any shaggy bits of dough on top of the dough before working. , You can massage the dough from the edges out or use a rolling pin to evenly spread it out.
Either way, take your time for the best biscuits.
Physically working dough creates breaks down flour, creating rubbery strands of gluten that lead to denser, heavier breads.
Sprinkle some flour on your hands or the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
For now, don't worry about a perfectly even thickness.
Just keep working it until it is close, then move on. , Again, work slowly, methodically, and without excess force.
Don't worry about getting it just perfect.
If the dough is sticking to the surface, add a little flour and flip it over to work on the other side. , More folds equal more flakes, but there is a limit
-- too much folding can lead to you overworking the dough.
Everyone has their own preferences and style, so the best thing to do is stick to 4-5 total folds the first time, testing the biscuits, and adjusting next time.
When done, you should have a nice square of dough, roughly 1/2 inch thick. , You can use a knife or a specialty cutter, but the floured rim of a drinking glass makes perfectly shaped biscuits every time.
Note that, in general, smaller biscuits are easier to cook to perfection, since they take less time and retain their moist interior better.
Don't twist the cutter as you pull it out of the dough.
This seals up the edges of the biscuit, which need to be open to get air and steam inside., The first batch you cut out will always be best, but the "scrape" dough is still delicious.
You could also try a few "drop" biscuits, which are shaggy, barely formed balls of dough that resemble scones more than their flat biscuit brethren., If you have parchment paper or a nonstick, oven-safe pan, this will do as well.
How you place your biscuits, as well, will impact the final product:
For higher, taller biscuits place the biscuits so that they are touching, preferably also touching the edges of a lipped pan or dish.
Cast-iron pans work well.
For wider, shorter biscuits separate the biscuits by 1-2 inches apiece., This can help them develop the wonderful golden brown sheen of the best biscuits.
It also doesn't hurt the taste, giving them added richness.
For truly decadent bakers, you can also drizzle a little sugar into the butter for a sweet kick.
In a pinch, a light brush of water, milk, or a whipped egg will also help them cook with a crispy golden top., When done, the tops and sides should be golden brown.
The sides will be yellow-white, and still a little soft.
If you have an uneven cooking oven, or just want to be sure they cook well, quickly turn them once while cooking.
Put them on the highest rack possible for the best, most golden-brown tops., Biscuits are meant, always, to be served hot, and they lose their wonder when they cool.
Still, give them 2-3 minutes out the oven to finish cooking, let the steam build up the flakes inside, and prevent burnt tongues. ,
About the Author
Dennis Perez
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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