Flaky Biscuit Recipe From Scratch

LIGHT AND FLAKY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Whisk milk and egg together.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt together in a bowl. Add margarine and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Add milk-egg mixture and mix just enough to combine.
• Knead dough briefly, 5 to 7 times. Roll to a 1 1/2-inch thickness and cut out 14 biscuits.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

THE BEST FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Rub 2 tablespoons of the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until completely absorbed. Work the remaining 8 tablespoons of cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until pea-size bits of butter remain. Use a rubber spatula to stir the buttermilk into the flour until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. (Don't overmix the dough.)
• Lightly flour a cutting board or work surface, turn the dough out onto it and pat into a rectangle. Fold the dough in half and pat again into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Then fold the dough in thirds, as if folding a letter, and pat to an even thickness. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter and put on the prepared baking sheet. Press together the remaining scraps of dough. Pat out and fold the dough into thirds again and cut out more biscuits. Brush the biscuit tops with buttermilk.
• Bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on the pan at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FLUFFY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl, whisk together first 4 ingredients. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk together egg and milk. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Dough will be wet. , On a well-floured surface, knead dough gently 8-10 times. Roll to 1/2-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. , Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.

FLAKY BUTTERY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter or line a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or 2 table knives, combine the butter and flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Slowly add the milk, stirring with a fork, to the desired consistency.
• For softer biscuits, drop 2 tablespoons of the dough onto the lined baking sheet. For firmer biscuits, turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and gently knead just to bring the dough together. Carefully roll out the dough about 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or sturdy glass, cut about 12 biscuits, rerolling any scraps. Place on the lined baking sheet. (The biscuits can be frozen at this point. Freeze on the baking sheet, then remove to a resealable container or plastic bag for easier storage.) Bake the biscuits for 13 to 15 minutes (add 3 to 4 additional minutes for frozen ones), until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve warm.

EXTRA-FLAKY SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450° (500° if using a convection oven).
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
• Cut cold butter or shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.
• (Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs, with no large chunks of butter.) If butter gets very soft at this point, refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
• Add 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, stirring just to moisten all ingredients.
• Dough should be soft and moist; add remaining 1/4 cup as needed.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 10 times, or just untl dough holds together.
• Roll or pat dough into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle.
• With short side nearest you, spread top two-thirds of dough with 3 tablespoons soft butter, leaving bottom third, closest to you, unbuttered.
• Fold dough into thirds (like you would fold a letter) by pulling bottom third up over center and then pulling top third over middle.
• Turn dough so short side faces you.
• Pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle.
• In same manner, spread again with 3 tablespoons soft butter and fold letter style.
• Turn once more in the same manner.
• Pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle; spread with remaining 3 tablespoons soft butter and fold up.
• Work quickly and gently so as not to overwork dough.
• Pat dough into rectangle 3/4-inch thick on floured surface.
• Cut into squares with a sharp chef's knife.
• Place on pan, 1 inch apart.
• Lightly brush tops with melted butter.
• Bake in center of hot oven about 20 minutes (about 12 minutes in convection), until golden brown and firm.
• Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

FLAKY LAYER BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl.
• Grate butter into dry ingredients and combine in 2 or 3 batches.
• Add buttermilk and mix until mixture is all crumbles. Hand knead/fold until all remaining dry ingredients are combined into a single ball.
• Turn out dough ball onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle approximately 1/2" thick. Fold thirds , rotate 1/4 turn and repeat until dough has been rolled and folded 5 - 7 times. Roll out final time 1/2" and cut biscuits.
• Place on baking tray (optionally, brush top of biscuits with melted butter) and put in oven for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown on top.

FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Chill all the ingredients (except for the buttermilk) and all the equipment in the freezer, including the blade and bowl of the food processor. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and butter in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse the mixture until it is the texture of fine meal.
• Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, pour the buttermilk into the well, and mix by hand until the dough comes together.
• Turn the dough onto a clean work surface, dust with flour, and roll it into a ½-inch thick rectangle, applying even pressure and squaring off the edges. Laminate the dough by folding it into thirds, like a letter, and dust with flour; then roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this procedure a total of seven times, dusting with flour as necessary.
• Use the dough scraper to cut the dough into 2x2-inch squares; discard the excess dough. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet close together, with about ¼-inch or less between them, so they'll touch gently when they bake. Chill the cut biscuits for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle them with the sea salt. Bake the biscuits until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and serve warm.