Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!
Bleary-eyed, I arrived home at 6:15 AM after dropping off Jamie at the airport at 5 AM. I actually live only 10 minutes from the airport. Are you wondering is California traffic that bad? A protracted goodbye with the kid? A flat tire?
NOPE
Being very nice, enabling parents, we offered to drop her off for her flight and return the rental car. The plan went smoothly, I dropped her off curbside and headed to the car rental lot to pick up the Hubster. As soon as I entered the return lot a voice in my sleep-deprived brain said…hmmm, is this a good idea? Apparently not. The parking guys that man the exit booth do not arrive until 6 AM. I guess it stands to reason if you are dropping off a rental car, you are probably catching a flight. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️. So we sat in the car for 50 minutes, the Hubster occasionally looking over at me and shaking his head while playing Spelling Bee. I ignored him.
By the time we got home, I was wide awake. I might as well bake, I deserve a morning treat (ok, not really). A recent article by my fav NYT cooking columnist, Eric Kim, highlighted (glowingly) the Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits from Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine. I LOVE biscuits and a recommendation from Eric…turn on the oven now, please.
These biscuits are sweeter than most biscuits. They have a crunchy exterior due to the high sugar content and yet are still flaky and tender inside. This makes them sturdy enough for biscuit sandwiches, think ham or fried chicken.
First, grate cold butter and lightly blend it with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This eliminates cutting the butter into the flour step. By grating the butter you have strands of butter that help create those flaky layers.
Let’s Skip to the Good Part
Pour the crumbly mass of butter and flour onto your counter. Take out your bench scraper and push your dough mass together and gently press down to compress, you want to roll or pat the dough into a rectangle.
Fold one half over on top of the other half using the bench scraper, gather the escaped bits, and press them into the dough. Then roll the dough out again into a rectangle. Repeat the process a total of 5 times, rotating your dough ninety degrees each time. The dough will come together and be less crumbly. This is the process of lamination, creating layers of butter and flour in pursuit of flakiness.
With the last fold, shape the dough into a square. Use your bench scraper to cut the dough in thirds both lengthwise and crosswise yielding 9 squares. Cut straight down without sawing through the dough. Sawing would smoosh the layers creating an uneven rise while baking.
Next time I will trim the outside of the dough to help with an even rise.
Flaky, crispy, buttery, and sweet. Brush the biscuits with butter and sprinkle them with Maldon salt or any coarse finishing salt you like to highlight the sweet-salty vibe. Enjoy!
Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter 227 grams
- 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour 425 grams plus more for rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1¼ cups cold buttermilk 300 grams
- Melted butter and flaky sea salt both optional, for finishing
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.
- Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
- Fold the dough in half: Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as
- Build the final layer: Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.
- Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into
- the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides.
- Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using