Homemade Biscuits

Time :30 minutes
Yield :10 servings

The Scoop

Flaky, buttery, golden, and ready for whatever you want to put on them!
These homemade biscuits get their tender layers from very cold butter, cold buttermilk, and a few simple folds before baking.
They’re rich enough to eat straight from the tray and sturdy enough to become the foundation of a seriously good breakfast.
Hack it:
Add shredded cheddar or Parmesan for savory cheese biscuits.
Mix in chopped chives, rosemary, thyme, or scallions.
Add cracked black pepper, garlic powder, or smoked paprika for extra savory flavor.
Brush the tops with garlic butter or honey butter instead of plain melted butter.
For sweeter biscuits, add a little extra sugar and fold in blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries.
Leftovers:
Split and toast them for breakfast sandwiches with eggs, cheese, and bacon or sausage.
Turn them into strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and berries.
Cube and bake them into a savory breakfast strata.
Use them as the topping for chicken pot pie.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
  • 1 cup buttermilk, cold
  • 1 tablespoon butter, optional, melted

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  • Prepare a baking tray using either parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat, if you have one.
  • In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
  • Next, cut the 7 tablespoons of cold butter into cubes. Try to keep the butter as cold as possible, as cold butter will impart a better texture and flavor to the dough and more flaky layers to the biscuits. If it starts to soften too much, pop it back into the fridge or freezer until it cools down again.
  • Add the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture and mix with a pastry cutter until there are only small clumps, around the same size as peas.
  • Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the buttermilk into the well.
  • Fold the buttermilk into the mixture using a spatula until just combined.
  • Lightly press the dough to bring it together completely and then drop it onto a lightly floured flat surface.
  • Roll out the dough into a large rectangle shape, about 10x9 inches.
  • Next, fold the dough in half and repeat the process a few more times. This folding, called laminating the dough, helps layer the butter to ensure a rich, flaky taste throughout. The shape of the final rectangle should be around 9x4 inches and about 1 inch in thickness.
  • Using a round cutter, punch about 8 rounds in the dough.
  • Transfer the biscuit dough to your previously prepared baking tray, leaving enough room between them for the biscuits to expand in the oven.
  • Use the dough scraps to roll and fold out more biscuits, placing them on the baking tray in the same way.
  • Then, bake the biscuits in the oven until they are golden-brown, about 11-13 minutes.
  • Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter for some added flavor.
  • Serve warm.
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