Rose's Baking Basics

Butter Biscuits

Makes Nine 2½ inch by 1½ inch high biscuits

Oven Temperature: 375°F/190°C, then 400°F/200°C, then 375°F/190°C

Baking time: 15 to 20 minutes

Baking Equipment: One 15 by 12 inch cookie sheet, preferably insulated, or a double layer of two cookie sheets lined with parchment

A 2½ inch scalloped cookie or biscuit cutter

These biscuits are exceptionally soft, tender, and velvety. The secret ingredient is from James Beard, with whom I studied fifty years ago: hard cooked egg yolk. These are the biscuits I choose when I make strawberry shortcake or cobblers (see recipe). They are also wonderful for breakfast, especially sandwiched with sausage patties. They are great to have on hand in the freezer, unbaked, because they can be ready for breakfast in under a half hour.

3 large eggs, hard cooked, yolks only	37 grams	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons, lightly packed
unsalted butter	85 grams	6 tablespoons (¾ stick)
bleached all-purpose flour (see Baking Pearls)	182 grams	1½ cups (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off)
bleached cake flour (see Baking Pearls)	86 grams	¾ cup (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off)
baking powder, only an aluminum free variety	13.5 grams	3 teaspoons
fine sea salt	6 grams	1 teaspoon
sugar	50 grams	¼ cup
heavy cream	174 grams	¾ cup (177 ml)
OR	OR
buttermilk	181 grams
OR
a combination of the two
Topping (optional): melted butter, cooled	14 grams	1 tablespoon/15 ml
sugar for sprinkling	.	about 1 teaspoon

Mise en Place

▪ Into a small bowl, press the egg yolks through a medium-mesh strainer and cover.

▪ Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.

Preheat the Oven

▪ Thirty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 375ºF/190ºC.

Make the Dough

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and cake flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and, with your fingertips, press the cubes into small pieces until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer, fitted with the flat beater, on low speed to blend the butter into the flour mixture, and then proceed by hand.)

2. Add the sieved egg yolks and whisk them in to distribute evenly.

3. Stir in the cream just until the flour is moistened, the dough starts to come together, and you can form a ball with your hands.

4. Empty the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead it a few times until it develops a little elasticity and feels smooth. Dust the dough lightly with flour if it feels a little sticky. Pat or roll the dough into a ¾ inch high rectangle.

Shape the Dough

▪ Have ready a small dish of flour for dipping the cutter.

5. Dip the cutter into flour before each cut. Cut cleanly through the dough, lifting out the cutter without twisting it so that the edges will be free for the maximum rise; twisting the cutter compresses the edges, which keeps the biscuits from rising as high. Use up the remaining dough by rekneading it only briefly, so it won’t become tough, and cut out more biscuits.

6. For soft sides, place the biscuits almost touching (about ¼ inch apart) on the cookie sheet. For crisp sides, place the biscuits 1 inch apart. Brush off any excess flour and, if an extra crisp top is desired, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with the sugar.

Bake the Biscuits

7. Place the biscuits in the oven and raise the temperature to 400ºF/200ºC for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375ºF/190ºC and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a biscuit should read 200ºF/93ºC. If baking frozen biscuits, bake them at 375ºF/190ºC for the entire time for a total of 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool the Biscuits

8. Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool until just warm, top side up.

Serve the Biscuits

9. Split the biscuits in half, preferably using a 3-tined fork.

Store: Biscuits are at their best when baked shortly before eating. They can be stored, tightly covered, for up to 1 day. To reheat, it works well to cover them with a lightly moistened paper towel and heat for a few seconds in the microwave. The unbaked biscuits can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Bake them without thawing.

Baking Pearls

Unbleached all-purpose flour will result in a less tender biscuit.

Moistening the biscuits with water before reheating results in a crisp top and softer interior.

Make This Recipe Your Own

Add 28 grams/2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger to the flour mixture.

Variation

Angel Biscuits

Adding yeast to this basic biscuit dough will give an additional ½ inch in height and an incredibly light texture. Add 2 teaspoons/6.4 grams instant yeast to the flour mixture. At the end of step 3, after shaping the dough into a ball, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, set the bowl in a warm place (75° to 80°F/24° to 27°C), and let the dough rise until it becomes puffy but not quite double, about 1½ hours. Gently press down the dough, cover tightly, and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 3 days. Proceed as above with step 4.

Making Butter Biscuits