In the year 2024, we should be able to make our own biscuits like our grandmothers did. But in reality, our efforts at biscuit-making are often rewarded with pasty pucks of blandness that would have Nana rolling over in her grave. Part of this is our own fault: in a rush to streamline the process and make things easier, we’ve lost a lot of the magic of home cooking.
The actual recipe for biscuits is alarmingly simple, but the process of working your dough demands some consideration. Follow these steps and surprise yourself (and maybe Grandma, too).
Recipe:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs baking powder (yes, I wrote Tablespoons)
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
8 Tbs cold (frozen is best) butter
2 Tbs (or more) honey
Glaze:
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 Tbs honey
First off, put your butter in the freezer. You can do this the night before, or even just 30 minutes beforehand. But the colder the butter, the flakier your biscuits will be.
Preheat your oven to 425℉ and place a cast iron skillet in the oven to warm.
Assemble the biscuit dough:
Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix gently with a fork or, better yet, your hands.
Grandma likely didn’t have a food processor, so you’re going to use a cheese grater to flake your butter. This is also easier to clean than a Cuisinart. Grate the butter and add it to the flour mixture, gradually adding buttermilk and honey while mixing gently with your hands. The dough will be sticky and lumpy.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and very gently knead for 2 minutes. The harder you work the dough, the tougher your biscuits will be.
Roll your dough into a rectangular shape, and then fold it into thirds. Roll out another rectangle, and fold again. By folding and rolling, you are establishing the flaky layers of your biscuits. Roll and fold 4-5 times and then let the dough rest for a few minutes.
To cut the dough, use a circular-shaped cutter. Press the cutter down but do not twist – twisting wraps the dough around itself and will prevent your biscuits from rising. Simply press the shape down and then lift the biscuit out.
Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and place your biscuits in it. Roll, fold, and cut any remaining dough, being careful not to get it too warm with your hands.
Brush the biscuits with the honey butter glaze and place in the oven. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.
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