Biscuits bring people together, whether it’s for a wedding, brunch with friends, or if they are having supper. Even the novice cook can make them, despite what some people believe. The ingredients for homemade biscuits are as simple as flour, Buttermilk, and salt, but they can also be loaded with chocolate, cheese, vegetables, or fruit.
You will feel confident about baking homemade biscuits if you follow these tips. Review the advice and information before you try this easy biscuit recipe. We’ll help you achieve your desired biscuit result, no matter what your preference is: tall, tiny, crispy, flaky, or square.
What you need:
All-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups
Baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons
Use one teaspoon of kosher sea salt
Baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon
Cold unsalted Butter, 3/4 cup (1/2 stick)
Cold Buttermilk, 3/4 cup
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add Buttermilk and Butter
Cut butter into small pieces. Handwork the butter into the flour until it is crumbly. Buttermilk should be stirred in.
Step 3: Roll and stamp
To make the best biscuits at home, fold the dough until it comes together and then roll or shape it into a rectangular shape. Cut them into eight squares or stamp out eight biscuits. If desired, brush biscuits with an egg beaten.
Step 4: Bake
Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Mix with your hands
Start with cold butter. The flakier the biscuit, the more complex the butter. Cut it into pats instead of cubes. Martin Philip, a bakery at King Arthur Flour, Norwich, Vt. and author of breaking bread ($33, Amazon.com), recommends using cold butter. The flakier it is, the more butter you need to use.
“Using your fingers, smoosh butter into the flour mixture, creating flat leaves. This keeps the butter pieces more significant, almost like a pie crust. The biscuits will be flakier.
The dough can be rolled, folded, or patted.
For extra flakiness, you can pat out the biscuit dough and fold it twice over itself, like a small letter. Philip explains that this little trick gives the biscuits an early start in forming layers.
Carrie Morey of Callie’s Biscuits, Charleston, S.C., recommends using a sharp cutter. “Don’t turn and twist–just lift and cut.”
Baking in a Pre-heated Oven
If you want to make biscuits, your oven must be thoroughly heated before you slide in the baking sheet. A hot range and cold butter or shortening will create magic. The sudden heat blast causes the initial puffiness and rise.
Philip warns against removing biscuits too early from the oven. The more golden the biscuits get, the better they taste. You can use the timing provided in the recipe to guide you but always trust your own eyes.
Prepare Ahead and Freeze
A freshly baked biscuit is magical. An old biscuit barely deserves to be eaten. Morey says that biscuits can be frozen. They can be heated straight from the frozen, in foil, and at 350 F, for about 30 minutes.
Sometimes swap for Shortcake
You will likely receive three answers if you ask three bakers about the difference between biscuits and shortcakes. Biscuits are made from Buttermilk, while shortcakes contain cream or whole milk for extra richness.
Philip loves classic Strawberry Shortcakes in the summer. He uses frozen blueberries sauteed in butter and brown sugar in the off-season. He says to chill the whipped cream before adding it. Peaches and blackberries that are perfectly ripe make delicious fillings.
