Biscuits

Biscuit Baking Tips

• Always use cold butter to make biscuits.
• Wash your hands in cold water before working with the dough, cold hands are best because you don't want the butter to melt.
• To  keep the butter cold, dice it cold and when adding to the flour mixture, coat it in the flour before cutting it into the dough with a pastry blender and then mixing the dough with your cold, floured hands.
• Don't twist the cutter when you're cutting out biscuits from rolled-out dough, twisting compresses and seals the edges so that the biscuits don't rise as well. So punch the cutter in and pull it out, don't twist.

Cheryl Day's Southern Biscuits

A recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia.

Makes 12 biscuits using a 2-1/4 inch (6 cm) biscuit cutter.

• 1-1/2 cups (188 grams) white cake flour
• 4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp regular table salt OR 4 tsp fine sea salt
• 3-1/2 tsp (15 g) baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 pound (340 g) cold unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter for brushing biscuit tops
• 2 cups (473 ml) buttermilk
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F (190°C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, salt, baking powder, sugar, and baking soda.
4. Add the cold butter cubes and toss in flour mixture to coat. Working quickly, cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or pinch the cubes with your fingertips, smearing them into the flour. You should have various-sized pieces of butter. Give the ingredients a good toss with your hands to make sure all the pieces of butter are completely coated in flour.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the buttermilk, and use your hands to mix the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until you have a shaggy dough.
6. Gently turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. The dough should still look crumbly. Using the heel of your hand, bring the dough together by smearing, folding, and turning it. This builds flaky layers. Repeat until there are no more dry bits of flour remaining and the dough comes together in a mass.
7. Flour a rolling pin and lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a 12-by-14-inch (30 by 36 cm) rectangle, with a long side toward you.
8. Starting from the right, fold the right side of the dough over the center and then fold the left side over the first fold, lining up the edges and pressing the layers together.
9. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again into a rectangle, then fold the dough in half from the top down, pressing the layers together.
10. Roll the dough out again into a rectangle and fold it in half once more, pressing the layers down again.
11. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough in half and stack the bottom half on the top half, pressing the layers together.
12. Dust the dough lightly with flour, and roll the dough out again into a rectangle about 1 inch (3 cm) thick.
13. Dip the edges of a 2¼-inch (6 cm) biscuit cutter in flour and punch out the biscuits; do not twist the cutter, or you will seal the layers of the dough and the biscuits will not rise as high. Dip the cutter in flour after every cut.
14. Arrange the biscuits 1 inch (3 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
15. Gather up the dough scraps, press them together until you have a cohesive mass, roll them out again, and cut more biscuits. The scrap biscuits may bake a little topsy-turvy, but that’s okay; they will still be flaky and delicious.
16. (If you don’t want to bake all the biscuits at once, you can freeze some on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap and freeze them to bake at a later date. You can bake them directly from the freezer; just give them 5 to 7 extra minutes in the oven.)
17. You can bake the biscuits now or refrigerate them for up to 1 hour before baking.
18. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and give each one a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional if you want to reduce the salt.)
19. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. The biscuits are best served hot out of the oven.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day. 

To reheat, place the biscuits on a wire rack in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 to 6 minutes.

To freeze leftover biscuits, wrap in foil and place in a large ziplock bag.

To reheat the biscuits, place the foil-wrapped biscuits in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 18 to 20 minutes, then carefully open the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Simple and Good Cheese Drop Biscuits

Cheese biscuits are good in the winter with soup or stew, and in the summer with cold salad and ham or chicken. They take little time to make and bake.

• 1 cup flour
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup old cheddar, grated (or any other flavorful cheese you have on hand that you can grate)
• 1/2 cup very cold water

1. Mix flour and baking powder, cut in butter with 2 forks or a pastry blender.
2. Add grated cheese and icy cold water, combine.
3. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Put a dab of butter on each biscuit.
5. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 8-10 minutes.

Cheddar and Herb Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe from Nicole and Nick Mattingly of Nashville, Tennessee was printed in Country Living magazine in May, 2014.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more to sprinkle on work surface)
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar (about 2 oz)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
3. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut butter into flour mixture until butter pieces are the size of peas.
4. Add grated cheddar and rosemary. Stir to combine.
5. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and gently stir just until you get a shaggy, slightly sticky dough.
6. If mixture is too dry and doesn't come together, add up to 1/4 cup more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time.
7. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1/2 inch thick round.
8. Using a 2-inch round cutter or the edge of a glass, cut out biscuits.
9. Gather dough scraps as needed, roll out to a 1/2 inch thick round again, continue cutting until you have 12 two-inch round biscuits.
10. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until biscuits are fluffy and golden brown.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

From The Canadian Milk Calendar, April 2013. Contributed by Meaghan Thornhill.

The recipe makes a dozen. They freeze well so you can double the recipe to make 24 biscuits, and bake them all at once on two pans placed in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.

If you have a convection oven, bake at 425 degrees convection setting and if your oven distributes heat evenly it may not be necessary to rotate the racks.

Baked biscuits that aren't being eaten right away should be cooled then placed on a tray in the freezer. When individually frozen, biscuits can be put into a large freezer bag to store frozen until needed.

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup (250 mL) shredded Canadian old Cheddar, Marble or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped green onions
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl combine: 2 cups flour, 2 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp each cream of tartar, sugar and salt.
4. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until crumbly.
5. Stir in shredded cheese and chopped green onions.
6. Slowly add the milk, stirring with a fork, until the batter reaches a soft dough consistency.
7. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 3 to 4 times until it holds together.
8. Roll out to 3/4 inch (2 cm) thickness.
9. Cut into squares or use a 3-inch (7.5 cm) cookie cutter.
10. Reroll scraps once to make about 12 biscuits.
11. Place biscuit rounds at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart on parchment paper on baking sheet.
12. Topping: In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp melted butter and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Brush biscuits with half of this mixture. 
13. Bake in preheated 450 degree F oven for 12 minutes or until starting to brown.
14. Brush biscuits with remaining topping mixture.
15. Bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
16. Best served warm.

Olive and Parmesan Cocktail Party Biscuits

Bake ahead on the same day you will serve them (they're best on the day baked) and warm in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes when guests arrive.

Use Kalamata olives or any combination of olives you like. 

Makes 16 small 2-bite biscuits.

Serve with ale or fortified wine, sherry, vermouth.

• 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 2 tsp (10 mL) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) finely chopped pitted olives
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
• Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place butter in freezer to firm.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. In a bowl, stir flour with baking powder, dry mustard, salt and sugar.
5. Using large holes of a box grater, grate in chilled butter.
6. Lightly toss butter in flour mixture to coat.
7. Stir in Parmesan.
8. Scatter with olives and stir in.
9. Make a well in the centre of the dough and pour in milk.
10. Stir with a fork until just evenly moist.
11. Using floured hands, form dough into a ball.
12. If sticky, lightly dust with flour and work in.
13. Place on a well-floured work surface and knead dough 8 times.
14. Dust counter with flour whenever it becomes sticky.
15. Pat into a disc 5/8 inches (13 mm) thick and about 6-1/2 inches (16 cm) wide.
16. Using a floured 1-1/2 inch (4 cm) cutter, cut out biscuits and place on baking sheet.
17. Gather remaining dough, pat again and cut out more biscuits.
18. Brush tops with olive oil.
19. Bake in top third of preheated oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
20. Serve warm or cool on a rack.

Variation: Bacon and Cranberry Biscuits

A cocktail biscuit that pairs well with bourbon drinks.

Make 1 recipe Olive and Parmesan Cocktail Biscuits, omitting the dry mustard, Parmesan cheese and olives, and adding instead:

• 1/4 tsp dry chili flakes (or more for more spice)
• 1/2 tsp smoky paprika
• 1/3 cup crisp bacon bits (about 7 slices cooked bacon--reserve the fat)
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped dried cranberries

Mix and shape the same way, brush tops with bacon fat before baking.