BEST Biscuit Recipe

The holiday season and leading up to it was a crazy busy time so I haven't had a chance to post any new recipes until now. Thought I'd start out the New Year right. -- Winter, snow - definitely the time for comfort food, and I had a hankering for fresh warm biscuits last week. I've not had much luck myself with other recipes, even the usually reliable Bisquik way. So I searched diligently and tried the recipe below - it worked perfect first time thanks to the careful and thoughtful instructions. This is definitely a fav now. I served the biscuits with a western omelette and gravy (ok the gravy was a mix I bought down in Texas last year - hope I can find more, it was rich, thick and tasty. Almost as good as Bob Evans')

This recipe is courtesy of the nice folks at Joy of Baking.com definitely worth a visit or follow on Twitter

"To make a good biscuit, the correct mixing of the ingredients is crucial. Although you could use an electric mixer I prefer to mix the dough by hand using either a pastry blender, two knives or just my fingertips. Mixing by hand helps to prevent over mixing of the dough. To begin, the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder/baking soda, and salt) are whisked or sifted together in a large bowl. Next the butter is cut into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs. It is important that the butter be cold so when it is worked into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour- coated crumbs, not a smooth dough. This method is similar to how a pie dough is made and gives the biscuit a wonderful delicate and flaky texture. The wet ingredients are then added to the flour mixture. Only mix the dough until it comes together. I cannot stress enough that this dough should not be overworked and that a light hand is needed. If you end up with a hard and doughy biscuit, you will know to mix the dough less the next time. When the dough is mixed, gather it up in your hands and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times to make it a cohesive mass and then roll to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Use a lightly floured cookie cutter and cut into rounds. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Using an egg wash gives the biscuits a nice appearance and helps with browning.

Biscuits need to be baked in a hot oven so the dough sets quickly thereby producing a light biscuit with a golden brown top and bottom with white sides. They are done when they are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the scone comes out clean. The texture of the interior should be light and soft, and white in color. Cool on a wire rack. If you want crusty biscuits, cool them uncovered. If a softer crust is desired, then wrap the hot biscuits in a clean dish towel  

Recipe -

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar (optional)

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (180 ml) milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Topping: 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (use pastry blender, two knives, or fingertips). Add the milk and slightly beaten egg and stir until just combined. (The texture should be sticky, moist and lumpy.)

Place mixture on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently until it comes together and is a smooth dough.

Roll out dough to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Cut out biscuits with a lightly floured round cookie cutter. Place on prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg and milk mixture and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuit comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter. Makes about 12 3-inch (7.5 cm) biscuits".




I'll be testing some homemade biscuit gravy recipes to post  soon and right now there is a vegetarian pot of chile in the crockpot so I'll let you know how it turned out soon.  Support your local food banks and homeless shelters.
Happy New Year

~ @canayjun
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