Homemade biscuits are what take us into the kitchen today to cook: fat, flaky mounds of quick bread, golden brown, with a significant crumb. Composed of flour, baking powder, fat and a liquid, then baked in a hot oven, they are an excellent sop for syrup, molasses or honey. They are marvelous layered with country ham or smothered in white sausage gravy, with eggs, with grits. They make a great Thanksgiving side. And if you've never made them before, you'll be delighted to know that biscuits are easy to make. Really.
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
The New York Times Cooking
The New York Times Cooking
The New York Times Cooking
Step 2
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat two more times. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter (or even a glass, though its duller edge may result in slightly less tall biscuits). Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
Step 4
Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
The New York Times Cooking
The New York Times Cooking
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Comments
Kim
No, please don't turn the oven on to 425 degrees as your first step. No need to waste energy while you let the biscuits rest for 30 minutes!
swalters
Freeze the butter and then grate it. Use a fork to mix up the dough. Works like a charm and no need to wash the bowl of a food processor!
Samsnona
I'm 78, Southern and these were the best biscuits I've ever made. Probably because I followed the recipe and used 2 tablespoons of baking powder. Geez and from and a Yankee!
Lillie
Excellent biscuit recipe, except I do think it calls for too much baking powder — I could taste it. Next time, I may halve the amount called for, and will add more salt. Other than that, 10/10!
Lillie
@Lillie Update: Significantly better with 1 TBSP baking powder, and no difference in rise. Also, use buttermilk.
Brett
I found 1 cup of milk was way too much (humidity is 73% where I'm at right now, not sure if that's the reason). I remade with 3/4c and that was about right with generous surface flouring. You may want to add 3/4 of a cup of milk first, judge whether your dough looks wet enough (the video included with this recipe can provide some visual cues), and only add the remaining 1/4 cup if needed.
Mrs T
I make biscuits at least once a week. The key for me: work quickly with minimal mixing and handling—just enough to make it all hold together—bake immediately in a 450 oven. I also don't use a cutter: I shape the dough into discs and cut them like scones. The biscuits turn out fluffy and sky high.
So I was intrigued with both the extra baking powder and the 'rest time" of the NYT recipe. The results were surprisingly meh. Definitely not as light and fluffy. I blame the temp and the rest time.
