The Best Biscuits Ever
"I'm not kidding . . . these are the best biscuits you'll ever taste! The technique is different . . . the butter is frozen and grated into the flour. This recipe is from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. Prep time includes time to freeze butter and rising time."
Ingredients
Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (80.4 g)
- Calories 372.1
- Total Fat - 28.4 g
- Saturated Fat - 6.7 g
- Cholesterol - 27.4 mg
- Sodium - 79 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 22.5 g
- Dietary Fiber - 2.6 g
- Sugars - 2.1 g
- Protein - 8.3 g
- Calcium - 132.3 mg
- Iron - 1.4 mg
- Vitamin C - 0.1 mg
- Thiamin - 0.2 mg
Step by Step Method
Step 1
Place butter in freezer for at least 30 minutes to harden.
Step 2
Stir vinegar into cream and place in refrigerator to keep cold.
Step 3
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Step 4
Grate butter: Place grater (or food processor) over the bowl of dry ingredients and using the larger holes, grate the frozen butter directly into the flour mixture. Using your fingers quickly evenly distribute the butter in flour, careful not to work the butter so much that it melts. If you do not have a grater, slice the frozen butter in 1/4 inch slices. Dust with flour, stack and cut into 1/4 in strips, then rotate and cut into 1/4 inch cutes.
Step 5
Stir in the cream mixture until the flour is hydrated and forms a coarse ball. If necessary add additional cream to get the right consistency.
Step 6
Transfer dough to a generously floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Working with floured hands, use your palm to press dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
Step 7
Carefully lift the dough and dust the work surface and the top of the dough again. Roll the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle or square. Using a pastry scraper lift the dough and fold it into itself in three sections, as if folding a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, again repeat the process; lifting the dough and dustng both side of the with flour. Again roll out into 1/2 inch thick rectangle or square. Using a pastry scraper lift dough and fold it into itself in three sections, as if folding a letter.
Step 8
Give the dough another quarter turn and repeat the procedure.
Step 9
Repeat one final time (a total of four roll outs).
Step 10
After the fourth folding dust both sides of the dough with flour and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.
Step 11
Cut the biscuits with a floured pizza cutter or biscuit cutter.
Step 12
Transfer the biscuits to a parchmant lined pan, placing about 1/2 inch apart.
Step 13
Let the biscuits rest for 20 - 30 minutes before baking to relax the gluten.
Step 14
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F
Step 15
Transfer the biscuits to the oven and lower the temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 6 to 10 minutes, until a golden brown.
Step 16
Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the biscuits to cool on the hot pan for at least 3 minutes.
Step 17
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS: Freezer (Up to 1 Month): Wrap the pan and place in the freezer. Remove from freezer at least 3 hours before you plan to bake, do not bake the biscuits while they're frozen. Refrigerate (Up to 3 Days): Wrap the pan and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to remove some of the chill.
Tips
No special items needed.