Description
Samin Nosrat’s recipe for biscuits from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat! These are the lightest, fluffiest, most flavorful buttermilk biscuits.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 31/2 cups all purpose flour (18 1/2 ounces)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled, plus 1/4 cup more for brushing biscuits, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the cubed butter and the buttermilk in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment) and mix at low speed just until mixed together, around 30 seconds.
- Add half the butter, a few pieces at a time. Mix until the flour mixture looks like sand (around 8 minutes).
- Add in the rest of the butter and keep mixing for about 4 minutes. The butter should be the size of large peas.
- I sometimes pop the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before moving onto the next step, depending on how warm my kitchen is, this can be really helpful so the butter doesn’t get all melted in your fingers in the next step!
- Transfer the mix to a large bowl and using your fingers, flatten the largest pieces of butter. Samin’s tip: pretend you’re making the “cha-ching! Cash money!” motion.
- Create a well in the center and pour the chilled buttermilk and 1 cup of cream. Using wide circular strokes, stir the dough until it comes together (its okay that it’s shaggy looking!)
- Flour the counter and place the dough on the counter. Pat until its about 3/4 inches high and about 9 inches by 13 (gentle now!).
- Now it’s time to fold: fold it in half, then again, and then a third time. Roll out into 9 inches by 13 inches again and if the top of the dough is not smooth, repeat the folding and rolling process again.
- Lightly flour the counter once more, and roll the dough until its about 1 1/4 inches thick. Cut straight down with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (if the dough sticks to the cutter, wipe it clean between cuts. I usually do this in between each cut so the biscuit will rise straight up). Reroll the scraps and cut the remaining dough into biscuits (about 14-16 biscuits)
- Place the biscuits 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet and bush with cream. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans and switch the pans oven positions. Bake another 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and light when you pick them up.
- Cool biscuits on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm with honey butter!!!!
Notes
To freeze, place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until solid. Store in freezer safe bags for up to six weeks. To bake, preheat the oven to 450 and brush the biscuits with heavy cream. Cook frozen biscuits (do not defrost) for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 375 and bake another 10-12 minutes.