Biscuits

 

Paul in his kitchen in Maine 2022 making us biscuits for the road.

It took me a VERY long time to make good biscuits- basically my whole life.  It's been the same with pie crust. Paul Spaulding tried to teach me, but mine were never as good as his. 

He made us cheese and sausage biscuits once that were amazing. But, finally, I learned the science behind this kind of baking. I learned that if the butter blends into the flour before the oven, the biscuits will be hockey puck like. But Flour suddenly confronted with heat and Butter creates air pockets! 

Revelation!  I wasn't keeping things cold enough so I learned to keep my ingredients in the freezer as I went along.  Shredding butter with the large holes in a cheese grater also made things easier.  And after eons of using a round biscuit cutter....I went and cut the dough into squares with a sharp knife instead. No leftover clumps and less handling. 

Finally, I discovered why my mom had a weird cloth sleeve on her rolling pin. I'm sure she had a pastry cloth, too, but I wasn't paying attention back then. Both make rolling out dough extra easy, and prevent too much flour from being incorporated at that stage. 

By the by- make sure your oven really is 425- 430. Use an oven thermometer.

Here's King Arthur Flour's basic recipe with my tweaks:

Ingredients

• 3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder ( I add 1/4 tsp baking soda)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar ( I make a generous tablespoon)
• 6 tablespoons (85g) COLD butter 
• 1 cup to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (227g to 255g) buttermilk or milk, cold*
•  ( If you don't have buttermilk use a combo of milk soured with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, yogurt liquid and yogurt. About 1/2 milk, 1/2 yogurt

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper portion. Get out a baking sheet; there's no need to grease it. Line it with parchment if you like, for easiest cleanup.

2. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.  

3. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

King Arthur- Work the butter into the flour mixture using your fingers, a fork or pastry blender, a stand mixer, or a food processor; your goal is an evenly crumbly mixture (think breadcrumbs).


4. 
   

   My method- shred butter with cheese shredder into a bowl ( metal is even better)and put it in the freezer while you whisk together the dry ingredients and get the milk yogurt combo going. Keep the milk mixture in the freezer or fridge. If it's summer time keep popping things back in the freezer. You never want the butter to soften enough to merge with the flour until it's in the oven. 

   I just stir the butter and flour together- pop back in freezer for a few minutes.

   King Arthur 

   1. Drizzle the smaller amount of buttermilk evenly over the flour mixture. Mix quickly and gently for about 15 seconds, until you've made a cohesive dough. If the mixture seems dry and won't come together, don't keep working it; drizzle in enough milk — up to an additional 2 tablespoons (28g) to make it cohesive.

   2. My method- the same as above but also use a big spoon when mixing and try and smash the milk into the flour mix now and then instead of just stirring. As soon as it starts becomes one big ball - stop mixing and pop into freezer for a few minutes.

      King Arthur

      Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. ( I use a pastry cloth) Pat it into a rough rectangle about 3/4" thick. Fold it into thirds like a letter and roll gently with a floured rolling pin until the dough is 3/4" thick again. To avoid leftover dough scraps, cut the dough into squares or diamonds with a bench knife or sharp knife.

      1. Place the biscuits bottom side up on your prepared baking sheet; turning them over like this yields biscuits with nice, smooth tops. Brush the biscuits with milk, to enhance browning.

      2. Bake the biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm.

         Other tips from King Arthur:

         • Placing cut biscuits closer together (with 1/4" of space between them) will help them rise higher and straighter; they'll literally hold each other up as they rise in the oven. The sides will be softer, also. If you like a crisp biscuit, space them at least 1" apart on the baking sheet so the oven's heat can reach their sides.
         • If you're going to use the biscuits for shortcakes, increase the sugar to 2 tablespoons, and stir 1 teaspoon vanilla into the dry mixture along with the milk. Also, dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in the tablespoon or so of milk you use to brush the tops; this will help them brown nicely and impart mild sweetness to the crust.
         • If you have time, prepare the biscuits up to the point they're on the pan before preheating your oven. Place the pan of biscuits in the refrigerator while you preheat your oven to 425°F, or for about 20 to 30 minutes. This short chill will help them maintain their shape while baking.
           ( I put mine in the freezer for five minutes)