Crème Fraîche Biscuits

Crème fraîche makes a great substitute for the buttermilk in my classic biscuit recipe, and the result is a light and airy biscuit, not a flaky one, with a subtle tang. I serve these sweet biscuits for snacks or as a dessert with fruit and whipped cream. The photo is here.

Makes 12 biscuits

Difficulty: Easy

Make Ahead and Storage: The biscuits are best eaten fresh from the oven, but the dough can be shaped up to 12 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap. Unwrap and bake directly from the refrigerator.

• 361 g / 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 149 g / ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 12 g / 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 113 g / 4 oz / 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 226 g / 1 cup crème fraîche
• Egg wash: 57 g / 1 large egg, beaten with 15 g / 1 tablespoon water and a small pinch of fine sea salt
• Turbinado or coarse sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 204°C, with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it’s well incorporated—the mixture should look like coarse meal. Add the crème fraîche and pulse just until the dough comes together—do not overmix!

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a rectangle about 1¼ inches thick (no need to be precise). Use a pastry wheel or knife to cut the dough into 12 equal squares and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.

4. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes or the refrigerator for 15 to 17 minutes to chill the dough, which helps ensure a higher rise.

5. Brush the tops of the chilled biscuits with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until the biscuits are tall and the tops are very golden. Serve warm.

✻ Why It Works

The crème fraîche plays the role of the typical buttermilk in a biscuit recipe—it provides fat for richness, liquid for binding, and acid that helps activate the baking powder.

★ Pro Tip

If you like, you can cut these biscuits into rounds with a 2½- to 3-inch biscuit cutter. Be sure to flour the cutter, and try to use one swift downward motion with minimal twisting, for the cleanest cuts and best rise. You can reuse the dough scraps once, but keep kneading to a minimum—just press the dough into the proper thickness and go!