It’s about time I made some biscuits!
I had to go out of my comfort zone for these tasty, savory delights. I know I’ve told you about my butter grating method when I made Strawberry Scones, but sometimes, with biscuits, it isn’t always the best method. Now, if all you’re worried about is flavor, texture, and ease, grating the butter works just fine.
However, if you want the biscuits to have that flaky, separated look, you have to let the butter be a little high maintenance.
You have to cut into into thin little squares and rub it into the flour. OH, and while you’re rubbing the butter with your fingers, you can’t melt it or the biscuits won’t be flaky! Fussy isn’t usually my deal, but these biscuits are worth it.
My husband gave me an herb garden for Christmas, and most of the types we planted have done well. My dill died, and I gave the catnip to my parents, but the oregano, cilantro, mint, thyme, and sage have all grown happily. I tend to get stuck in ruts with herbs when I like them so every other herb is going bananas while my thyme can barely get ahead. I use it A LOT!
It really gave the biscuits and extra savory flavor.
What I did after I cut the butter into 18 teeny tiny pieces was to drop them into the flour mixture a few at a time, coat them and rub them into thinner pieces. It’s a pain. It’s worth it.
Once all the pieces were sufficiently squished, I popped the shaggy dough in the freezer to let the butter recover from starting to melt.
Once it came out of the freezer I poured in the buttermilk, reserving a couple tablespoons so I could adjust the liquid if needed. I didn’t need the extra, but I am right at sea level. Higher elevation bakers would probably need all of it.
I’ll never get tired of pictures of shaggy dough.
I rolled it out into a half inch thick square, folded it into thirds, and repeated the process two more times.
I lost my big biscuit cutter…
The recipes said to use a three-inch cutter, but I used a two-inch. Any size works. Just watch that you don’t over cook the smaller ones.
This recipe was adapted from Baking Illustrated
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbl baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 tbl butter, chilled and cut into 18⅛ inch slices
- 1¼ cup buttermilk, chilled
- 1 tbl fresh thyme leaves (no stems)
- 1 egg, beaten
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and thyme in a large bowl.
- Take a few pieces of butter at a time and coat them each in the flour mixture.
- Making sure that your hands are floured, take each butter square and press it so that the pieces are very thin and broken up into smaller nickel size pieces.
- Try to work quickly so that the butter doesn't melt too much from the heat of your hands.
- Put the whole mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for fifteen minutes.
- Add 1 cup + 2 tbl buttermilk to the re-chilled flour/butter mixture.
- Mix with fork until mixture just comes together. This is where you can add the extra buttermilk if it's too dry.
- Transfer dough to floured surface.
- Pat down with very floured hands to about an inch thick.
- Roll into a square that's ½ inch thick and fold into thirds.
- Repeat two more times.
- Cut out biscuits with floured biscuit cutter, re-dipping the cutter each time.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Add a couple of minutes if you are using a three-inch biscuit cutter.
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I WANT THESE NOW!!! The pictures are amazing …….
Thank you! I will make you some when you come next month!
Oh, these sound wonderful!
Thanks, Dorothy 🙂