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Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Cook's Illustrated All-Time Best Brunch"


Recipe Introduction

"These elegant biscuits come closer to pastry than dinner roll, with a golden crust concealing countless flaky, buttery layers. The secret lay in how we incorporated the butter: Rather than cut it into the flour, we pressed it into small pieces, then carefully folded the dough and sandwiched the butter into thin sheets between thin layers of flour. Brushed with butter, our biscuits baked up crisp, flaky, and decadent. The dough is sticky through the first set of folds. You will use up to 1 cup of flour dusting the counter, dough, and rolling pin. Be careful not to incorporate large pockets of flour into the dough when folding it. When cutting the biscuits, press down with firm, even pressure; do not twist the cutter."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling and cutting biscuits
â—¦ 1 tablespoon baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch chunks
â—¦ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, lightly floured, and cut into â…›-inch-thick slices, plus 2 tablespoons melted and cooled
â—¦ 1 â…› to 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, chilled


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

Add shortening to flour mixture; break up chunks with your fingertips until only small, pea-size pieces remain. Working with few butter slices at a time, drop butter slices into flour mixture and toss to coat. Pick up each butter slice and press between your well-floured fingertips into flat, nickel-size pieces. Repeat until all butter slices are incorporated, then toss to combine. Freeze mixture in bowl until chilled, about 15 minutes, or refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Spray 24-inch-square area of counter with vegetable oil spray; spread oil spray evenly across surface with clean dish towel or paper towel. Sprinkle â…“ cup flour across counter, then gently spread flour across sprayed area with your palm to form thin, even coating. Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk to flour mixture. Stir briskly with fork until ball forms and no dry bits of flour are visible, adding remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk as needed (dough will be sticky and shaggy but should clear sides of bowl). With rubber spatula, transfer dough to center of prepared counter, dust surface lightly with flour, and, using your floured hands, form dough into cohesive ball.

Pat dough into approximate 10-inch square, then roll into 18 by 14-inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick, dusting dough and rolling pin with flour as needed. Use bench scraper or thin metal spatula to fold dough into thirds, brushing any excess flour from surface of dough. Lift short end of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 6 by 4-inch rectangle. Rotate dough 90 degrees, dusting counter underneath with flour, then roll and fold dough again, dusting with flour as needed.

Roll dough into 10-inch square about ½ inch thick. Flip dough over and cut 9 rounds with floured 3-inch round cutter, dipping cutter back into flour after each cut. Carefully invert and transfer rounds to ungreased baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps into ball and fold once or twice until scraps form smooth dough. Roll dough into ½-inch-thick round and cut 3 more rounds and transfer to sheet. Discard excess dough. Brush tops of rounds with melted butter. Bake, without opening oven door, until tops are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Let biscuits cool on sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 biscuits