Sky-High Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe updated 5/1/24 – While the original biscuit recipe was fantastic, I now make biscuits differently (and with more butter), which is reflected in the updated recipe below.

Welcome to my unintentional carb-loaded week of recipes!  I accidentally planned all bread-y things for this week’s recipes…sorry, not sorry.  I LOVE CARBS.  These buttermilk biscuits are the best way to imbibe in said carbs…at least for today.  I’m sure I can find a new, equally delicious way to eat them tomorrow.This biscuit recipe comes from Bon Appétit as part of their BA’s Best series, which is a mouth-watering collection of the best versions of classic recipes that everyone needs to know how to make.  I will make every last one of these recipes before I die.These are ultra-flaky, sky-high biscuits with layers upon layers of buttery, tender dough.  They bake up to crispy, golden-brown salty goodness and a perfect for anything from biscuits and gravy to what-will-probably-be-the-best breakfast sandwich of your life.  They’re so flaky that you can literally just pull them apart to open up for buttering or filling with eggs, bacon, sausage or whatever else floats your boat.  I love to make these as big, square biscuits because they’re the perfect size to get your fill, and are a great shape for making into breakfast sandwiches.  You’ll get six big biscuits if you cut them this way, but you can definitely go the more traditional route and cut them into smaller circles; you’ll probably get 10 to 12 smaller biscuits.  These also freeze so well, so you can make a full batch and throw a few in the freezer for whenever the biscuit need strikes you.  Bake straight from the freezer (no need to thaw!) but add a few more minutes to the baking time.This dough is unique because it employs a stacking technique to create tons of layers; bakers use a folding technique similar to this to laminate pastry doughs (think puff pastry).  You’ll layer several sections of dough on top of each other, press down and pat or roll out to create these flaky layers.  I’ve seen more recipes employing either a folding or layering technique as of late, so I think people are finally starting to realize how much better biscuits made this way are versus the old way of yore where dough is made, patted out and cut into biscuits.  I prefer my biscuits to just about reach the sky, so I’ll stick with this new and, in my opinion, improved way. These biscuits are just begging you to make them, bake them, fill them, slather them, smother them…but most of all, just eat them!

Sky-High Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 9 biscuits

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Description

The best (and only) buttermilk biscuit recipe you’ll ever need!  Tons of flaky, buttery layers begging to be pulled part, buttered, slathered, smothered or filled…but most importantly, eaten!

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Ingredients

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• 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 18 tablespoons (2-1/4 sticks) butter, two sticks frozen + 2 tablespoons reserved for brushing on biscuits
• 1-1/4 cups cold buttermilk
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

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Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Coat the two frozen sticks of butter in the flour mixture, then grate 7 tablespoons from each stick directly into the bowl on the large holes of a box grater, leaving the last tablespoon of behind (ungrated) to melt and brush on the tops before baking. Toss gently with a fork to combine.
2. Add the cold buttermilk to the flour mixture and fold together with the fork until just combined. The dough will look very dry; this is correct! Throughout the process, until the last 1-2 turns, the dough will look dry and wrong. Don’t worry!
3. Liberally dust the counter with flour; turn the dough out and dust the surface lightly with flour. Press the dough into a 8-inch square.
4. Pat or roll the dough into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle with the short side facing you. Starting at the bottom of the dough nearest you, fold it into thirds like a business letter. Use a bench scraper to help you pick up any extra bits of dough on the counter to put them back on the dough mass and to fold and shape.
5. Turn the dough 90 degrees, and repeat the process in Step 2 four more times for a total of five folds. After the last set of folds, cut the dough in half across the middle and stack one of the halves on top of the other; this will add even more buttery layers to the biscuits. Pat the dough into an 8-1/2-inch square about 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
6.  Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position, then preheat the oven to 4oo°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the lined baking sheet on top of another baking sheet; this helps insulate the sheet the biscuits bake on and prevent overbrowning/burning of the bottoms.
7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and trim off the bare minimum amount of dough around all four sides that exposes the layers with a bench scraper, about 1/4-inch. You can bake these scraps with the biscuits for a little chef’s treat. Cut the dough into 9 equal square biscuits, flouring the bench scraper if needed. The biscuits might look a little small but will expand during baking.
8. Melt the reserved butter and brush the tops; you should use about half. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
9. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops are golden brown. Let cool for 10–15 minutes; before serving, brush with any remaining butter.

Notes

Inspiration: Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits on americastestkitchen.com (original recipe behind a paywall)

• Category: Bread-y Things, Rolls & Biscuits