The Best Biscuits Ever Recipes

THE MOST FLUFFY AND BUTTERY BISCUITS EVER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add the butter and using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until pea-like crumbs form.
• Stir in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon until just combined. Then pour in the buttermilk until the dough comes together into a sticky mass. You may need more buttermilk if it's still too dry and there is flour still at the bottom of your bowl. I ended up having to add in 1/2 cup more. DO NOT add 1/2 cup more all at the same time. Do 1 tablespoon at a time until the right consistency is reached.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• When ready, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dust a little flour onto your work surface then put the dough onto the work surface and use your hands (flour them) to press into a round, roughly 14 inch diameter and 1/2 inch thick. See photos in the blog post.
• Use a floured 2 3/4-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. Reform the scraps of dough into a circle again to cut more.
• Transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet and arrange them so they are touching each other. See photos in the blog post.
• In a small dish, beat together remaining egg and buttermilk then brush on top of the biscuits.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
• Let cool slightly before devouring! They're best eaten out of the oven, day of.
• Serve with your favorite sausage gravy, jam, or clotted cream.

PERFECT HOMEMADE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• The secret to excellent biscuits is COLD BUTTER. Really cold. Many times the biscuit dough gets worked so much that the butter softens before the biscuits even go in the oven. Try cutting the butter into small pieces and stick back in the fridge pulling out only when ready to incorporate into the dough.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Use a pastry cutter to cut cold butter into flour mixture. Don't go too crazy here - you want to see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough.
• Add in the milk and egg and mix just until the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky but don't keep working it. You should be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on to the top of dough so it won't stick to your fingers and knead 10-15 times. If the dough is super sticky just sprinkle on some additional flour.
• Pat the dough out to 3/4 - 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. I ended up with nine this time but depending on who is snacking on biscuit dough, I can get up to 12 biscuits.
• Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• For extra yumminess, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter...

BEST HOMEMADE BISCUITS EVER (OLD, OLD RECIPE)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• 2. Combine first 5 ingredients, sift together and place in a medium bowl.
• 3. Add: Butter flavor shortning to flour mixture, mix with pastry blender to a corase crumb consistancy. Add in the 2/3 cup of whole buttermuilk. Use pastry blender to combine it all together. Dough will be soft and easy to work with.
• 4. Turn out onto a slightly floured cutting board and knead a few times, don't make it stiff. Pat out with hands to a 1/2"-1" thick.
• 5. Cut out biscuits out with regular size biscuit cutter. Place in a large black iron skillet lightly greased with yellow flavor shortning. drizzle melted butter acroas top with pastry brush.
• 6. Bake in 450 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. ** Serve with scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and Blackberry Jam.

BEST BISCUITS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/2-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place 1 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

SAUSAGE GRAVY AND BISCUITS

Steps:

• Brown sausage in a large saucepan. Use a paper towel to blot out most of the grease from the pan.
• Add flour, butter, and half & half. Cook on medium-low, stirring often, for several minutes until thickened.
• Add thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
• Serve over warm biscuits.

BEST EVER CLASSIC SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet or two (depending on how large your baking sheets are) by lining them with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a fork or a whisk.
• In a liquid measuring cup, measure the cream and add the eggs. Whisk together using a fork and set aside.
• The next few steps should be done quickly, as you're working with cold butter and you want the butter to be as cold as possible when it hits the heat of the oven. This will result in a flaky scone, rather than a heavy and dense one.
• Cut up your butter, right from the fridge, into little pieces and dump it into the flour mixture. Using your hands (wash them well first and remove any rings), pick up handfuls of the butter and flour mixture, rubbing the pieces of butter and the flour between the heels of your hands to create "sheets" of butter. You should act quickly here, and don't allow the pieces of butter to sit in your hands for any length of time as the heat from your hands will cause it to soften. The goal is to create paper-thin pieces of butter, small and large throughout the mixture. Once there are no thick chunks of butter remaining, only thin sheets, remove your hands from the mixture. Hands equal heat, so handle the mixture as little as possible.
• Pour in the wet ingredients and mix roughly with a fork. Do not over mix, or the result will be heavy and dense.
• Once the wet ingredients have been incorporated but there are still several streaks of flour, turn the dough out onto a clean and floured counter surface. Press the dough down into the counter and then fold one half over the other half like you are folding a piece of paper. Press down again and make another fold. Repeat this 2 or 3 more times, gathering any outlying dough bits and flour into your folds. Don't knead the dough like you would if you were making bread, and don't stir or mix the dough like you would if you were making muffins. Scones are technically a pastry, so the goal is flaky layers that are created by the thin sheets of butter and all the folding.
• Once your dough is formed after folding several times, shape it into a rectangle about 1 3/4 to 2 inches thick (approximately). Again, be careful not to handle the dough too much, so a few little cracks here and there are fine.
• Cut out circles of dough using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a class or jar. Arrange the circles of dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash (whisk together the egg and water).
• You'll need to re-shape the leftover dough to form another rectangle - do this carefully and gently, without adding much extra flour if possible. The less you handle the dough, the more tender and flaky the scones will be. Cut out the remainder of the scones until you have about 10-12 in total.
• Bake for about 15-18 minutes just until barely golden brown and the surface of the scones lose their shine. Let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

THE BEST BISCUITS EVER

Steps:

• Do ahead
• Stir the vinegar into the cream to acidify it, then refrigerate it to keep it cold. Place the butter in the freezer, for at least 30 minutes, to harden.
• Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
• Place a cheese grater in or over the bowl of dry ingredients. Remove the butter from the freezer, unwrap it, and grate it through the large holes into the dry ingredients, tossing the butter threads in the flour mixture as you grate to distribute them. (An alternative method is to place the butter on a cutting board, and dust it and the work surface with flour. Cut the butter into 1/4-inch slices. Dust the slices with flour, stack a few of them up, and cut them into 1/4-inch strips, then rotate the stack a quarter turn and cut the strips into 1/4-inch cubes. It's okay if the butter is smaller, such as pea-size. Toss the floured butter bits into the dry ingredients and continue cutting all of the butter in the same manner and adding it to the flour mixture. You can see why I like the grater method better.)
• Use your fingertips to separate and distribute the butter pieces evenly, breaking up any clumps but not working the butter so much that it disappears or melts into the flour. Add the cream mixture and stir with a large spoon until all of the flour is hydrated and the dough forms a coarse ball. Add a tiny bit more cream if necessary to bring the dough together.
• Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Working with floured hands, use your palms to press the dough into a rectangle or square about 3/4 inch thick. Use a metal pastry scraper to lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well, then roll it out into a rectangle or square about 1/2 inch thick. Then, using the pastry scraper to help lift the dough, fold it over on itself in three sections as if folding a letter.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then once again lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top with flour as well, then once again roll it out into a square or rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and fold into thirds. Give the dough another quarter turn and repeat this procedure again. Then, repeat one final time (four roll-outs in all).
• After the fourth folding, dust under and on top of the dough one final time, then roll the dough out to just under 1/2 inch thick, in either a rectangle (for triangle- or diamond-shaped biscuits) or an oval (for round biscuits). Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.
• Cut the biscuits with a floured metal pastry scraper or pizza cutter, or with a floured biscuit cutter for rounds; a 2-inch biscuit cutter will yield 20 to 24 small biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased sheet pan (lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you like), placing them about 1/2 inch apart.
• Let the cut biscuits rest for 15 to 30 minutes before baking to relax the gluten; this will create a more even rise (even better, if you have room, place the pan of biscuits in the refrigerator to chill). If you'd like to bake the biscuits later, see the sidebar for make-ahead options.
• To bake
• About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).
• Transfer the biscuits to the oven and lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), or 425°F (218°C) for a convection oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 6 to 10 minutes, until both the tops and the bottoms of the biscuits are a rich golden brown; the baking time will be shorter in a convection oven. The biscuits should rise about 1 1/2 times in height.
• Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the biscuits to cool on the hot pan for at least 3 minutes before serving. The biscuits will stay warm for about 20 minutes.
• Variations
• These biscuits are perfect without the addition of other ingredients, but it can be fun to enhance them with sweet or savory flavors. Here are four variations. Feel free to create your own versions, using these as examples.
• To make cheese biscuits, grate 8 ounces (227 g) of Cheddar or any medium-soft cheese you like, such as Gruyère, Gouda, or Provolone. This will yield about 2 cups of cheese. Each time you fold the dough, sprinkle one-fourth of the cheese over the surface before folding it. This may look like a lot of cheese, but it will melt and almost disappear into the biscuits when you bake them.
• To make savory biscuits, layer caramelized onions into the biscuits when you fold them. You'll need to cook the onions well in advance, because it's important that they be cool when you layer them; otherwise, they'll cause the butter in the dough to melt, which will damage the texture of the baked biscuit. To make the onions, slice 2 large white or yellow onions into thin strips. Sauté them over medium heat in 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of vegetable oil until very soft and translucent. Add 2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) of sugar and, optionally, 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking and stirring until the pan juices thicken into a honeylike syrup and the onions have the consistency of marmalade. This will take 15 to 20 minutes altogether.
• To make other savory variations, read on. Seasoned biscuits make a nice accompaniment to eggs, especially if made with fresh herbs. You can use any combination of fresh basil, parsley, dill, chervil, cilantro, or whatever herbs you like. Use about 3/4 cup of fresh herbs, either minced or cut into thin strips. Be careful when using strong herbs or spices, such as rosemary, oregano, sage, anise, fennel, cumin, chili powder, and the like, as they can easily overpower the biscuits. Use these stronger seasonings in moderation and in combination with milder herbs like parsley. Ground pepper is always an option; just 1/4 teaspoon will provide a surprisingly strong kick. Dried herbs will also work, but don't use more than 1/4 cup; and again, use primarily mild herbs like parsley, chervil, and basil.
• To make sweet variations, keep in mind that there is very little difference between a biscuit and a scone, so consider sweet biscuits to be flaky, tender scones and try adding dried fruits such as currants, raisins, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, apricots, or blueberries, as well as candied ginger (in moderation). Cut larger dried fruit into small bits. Add 1 cup (6 oz) of dried fruit (or more, if you like) in any combination, when you add the cream. Just don't use fresh fruit or berries, as they would make the biscuits soggy and destroy the flakiness.
• Keys to a Successful Flaky Biscuit
• The single most important technique is to use very cold butter and liquid. Some biscuit makers go so far as to chill the flour, but this isn't necessary if the butter and cream are cold. Using cold ingredients ensures that the butter stays in bits and pieces, which shortens the gluten strands (thus the term shortening, used to describe all solid fats, including butter and margarine). Using bits of cold butter creates weak points in the dough that flake off when you take a bite.
• Work quickly to keep the dough cold, but don't overwork the dough. Gluten is what makes dough tough, and the more you mix the dough, the more organized the gluten strands become. As a general rule of thumb, mix only as long as needed to get the job done. As every great biscuit maker will attest, it's all in the touch.
• The folding technique described in the recipe is similar to the lamination method known as blitz. It creates many thin layers of dough and fat, causing the biscuits to puff up and open like an accordion, creating maximum flakiness.
• The oven must be hot in order to trap the butter inside the biscuit and increase the puffing quality. In a cooler oven, below 450°F (232°C), some of the butter might run out onto the pan, so preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C), then lower the heat to 450°F (232°C) as soon as you put the biscuits in to bake. (If you preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C), it will drop to below 400°F (204°C) when you open the door.)
• Chilling the biscuits before baking them not only relaxes the gluten, it also minimizes the amount of butter that may run out of the biscuits as they bake.
• Make-Ahead Tips
• The best way to make biscuits is to bake them 15 to 30 minutes after the dough is cut, placed on the pan, and briefly chilled. However, when this isn't always practical, it's better to bake the biscuits when you plan to eat them rather than bake them in advance and try to warm them up later. So here are three make-ahead options:
• Freeze: Cut and pan the biscuits but don't bake them. Instead, completely wrap the pan (under and around the pan) in plastic wrap or use a food-grade plastic bag. If you wrap it well, you can freeze the pan of unbaked biscuits for up to 1 month. Remove the pan from the freezer at least 3 hours before you plan to bake the biscuits so they can thaw. Don't bake them while they're still frozen or they won't rise or bake evenly. If freezer space is an issue, you can also wrap individual biscuits in plastic wrap, stack them up, and freeze them.
• Refrigerate: Wrap the pan or individual biscuits as described above, but instead of freezing, refrigerate them. This is especially practical if you plan to bake the biscuits within 3 days. For even baking, remove the biscuits from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to remove some of the chill.
• Parbake: Bake the biscuits as described in the recipe, but only until slightly golden on the tops and bottoms-4 to 5 minutes less than the full baking time. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the biscuits thoroughly before wrapping them individually or wrapping the entire pan and freezing. When you want to finish baking them, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) and place the frozen biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving; this allows the heat to reach the center, warming but not drying out the biscuit.