This article was co-authored by JoAnna Minneci. JoAnna Minneci is a Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With more than 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specializes in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She has also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.
This article has been viewed 136,069 times.
Biscuits, a type of quick bread popular in the southern United States, taste best when they're light, flaky and buttery. They're the perfect accompaniment to any meal: you can eat them with sausage gravy for breakfast, make them into sandwiches for lunch, or serve them alongside fried chicken for dinner. Use the technique outlined below to achieve the best taste and texture.
Note: This article is a recipe for biscuits as they are known in America, which is a type of bread. If you are looking for instructions on cooking the type of biscuit that is typically served as a dessert, check out How to Make Cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Steps
Mixing the Biscuits
-
1Sift the salt and self-rising flour. Place both ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to sift them together until the salt is incorporated evenly throughout the flour.
- If you don't have self-rising flour, mix 2 1/4 cups flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
-
2Cut the butter into small squares. Using two knives, cut the butter into chunks. Try to handle the butter as little as possible, since it needs to stay cold until the moment you pop the biscuit dough into the oven.[1]
- If you find it easier to handle the butter with one hand and a knife, rinse your hand in cold water first, so you won't warm up the butter too much.
- You can also grate the butter into the flour if that's easier for you.[2]
- If the butter seems to get soft, place it in the freezer after you cut it into chunks. Remove it after it cools for about 10 minutes.
Advertisement -
3Blend the butter and flour. Place the butter chunks into the flour mixture. Using either a pastry mixer or a fork, blend the butter and flour until the mixture begins to resemble small beans and no large chunks of butter remain.[3]
- It's important not to overblend the mixture, since working the flour too much results in tough biscuits.[4] Leaving tiny bean-sized pieces of butter will create pockets of buttery, flaky goodness in the finished biscuits.
- To determine whether the mixture has been blended enough, pinch a bit of dough between your thumb and forefinger. If the dough stays together, it's ready for the next stage. If it's still too powdery and crumbly to hold together, blend it a little more, then test it again.
-
4Refrigerate the dough. Place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This gives the butter a chance to cool again before you move to the next stage.
-
5Add the buttermilk. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Slowly pour in the buttermilk and use a wooden spoon to gently incorporate it into the flour and butter mixture. Stir until the buttermilk is just combined, and you have a sticky dough with small bits of butter dispersed throughout.
Folding and Cutting the Biscuits
-
1Preheat the oven to 450 °F (232 °C). If you're going to be baking the biscuits right away, it's important to have the oven preheated so you can transfer them to the oven while the butter is still cold.
-
2Turn the biscuit dough onto a floured surface. A floured cutting board will do the trick, or you could use a clean, floured counter or tabletop. If you'd prefer not to get your work surfaces messy, lay out a few sheets of parchment paper and flour them.
-
3Flatten and fold the dough.[5] Use a floured rolling pin or the back of a plate to flatten the dough into a large circular shape. If necessary, use your hands to stretch it out a bit. Then take the edges of the dough and fold it in half. Use the rolling pin or the back of a plate to flatten it again. Fold it in half once more, then flatten it again. Repeat until you have folded the dough 3 times. Flatten it one last time so that the dough is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
- If you want thinner biscuits, roll the dough a bit flatter so it's 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) thick.
- Folding the dough in this way creates a lot of flaky layers. For more layers, continue gently folding and pressing the dough.
-
4Cut the biscuits. Use a biscuit cutter (or the rim of a glass) to cut the dough into biscuits. Place them onto a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet. Don't crowd the biscuits; they will rise and spread a little while they bake.
- Biscuits are usually round, but you can cut them into squares if you prefer. You could also leave the dough uncut and use it as a top crust for chicken pot pie.
- At this point you can cover the tray of raw biscuits with plastic wrap and freeze them. When you're ready to bake them, simply place them in a preheated oven.
Baking the Biscuits
-
1Place the tray of biscuits in the preheated oven. Make sure the oven is completely preheated before you put the biscuits in the oven. To cook correctly, biscuits require exposure to high heat for a short period of time.
-
2Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes. They're ready when the tops have turned golden brown. Since different ovens run at slightly different temperatures, check the biscuits every few minutes to make sure they don't burn.
-
3Serve the biscuits. Biscuits are best served fresh and hot from the oven. You can brush them with melted butter and serve them with jam or honey, or serve them plain as a side dish for stew or fried chicken. They will keep for a day or so in an airtight container.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionCan I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Community AnswerNo, but to make buttermilk you can add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to every cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. -
QuestionCan I add sugar to make them sweeter?
Community AnswerYes, you can add some sugar to make it sweeter. However, be careful to not add too much sugar. -
QuestionCan I use regular flour?Community AnswerYes, all-purpose flour is perfectly alright to use and so is self-rising flour.
References
- ↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 December 2021.
- ↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 December 2021.
- ↑ http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-biscuits-10000001673191/
- ↑ JoAnna Minneci. Professional Chef. Expert Interview. 23 December 2021.
- ↑ http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-biscuits-10000001673191/
About This Article
To make biscuits, first preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, add 2 ½ cups (325 grams) of flour and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of baking soda to a large bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon (12 ½ grams) of sugar and 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of salt. Now, grate 1 stick of frozen butter over the bowl using a box grater. Grating the butter into small pieces will make your biscuits light and airy. Mix the butter into the flour mixture, then create a well in the center. Pour 1 cup (235 milliliters) of cold buttermilk into the well, and stir until the dough is just combined. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and shape it into a rectangle that’s 1-inch (2 ½-centimeters) thick. Then, fold the dough in half, and press it into a 1-inch (2 ½-centimeter) thick rectangle again. Repeat this process 2 more times so your biscuits have thin, flaky layers. Now, cut the dough into 2 ½-inch (6 ½-centimeter) wide circles using a round cookie cutter or the mouth of a glass. Place the biscuits on the lined baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter. Finally, bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden. For specific ingredients and measurements, scroll down.
