Basic Flakey Biscuits
Submitted by Grandma Jane
Tender flaky biscuits made with cake flour, butter, milk, and an egg. Cornmeal-dusted pan for crisp bottoms and biscuits set close so they rise tall instead of spreading.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minCake flour is the secret to these tender, flaky biscuits. The lower protein content (typically 8 to 10 percent versus all-purpose at 11 to 13 percent) means less gluten development, which translates directly to a more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. Once you try this swap, all-purpose biscuits start tasting tough by comparison.
The technique that separates flaky biscuits from sad, dense ones is keeping the butter cold and the handling minimal. Cut the fat in until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal with visible flecks of butter still showing. Those visible bits are what create the flaky layers when steam hits them in the oven.
A cornmeal-dusted pan is a small detail with a big payoff. The cornmeal prevents sticking without grease and adds a subtle crisp texture to the bottom of each biscuit, like a cushion of toasted grain.
Place biscuits close together on the pan, almost touching. They support each other as they rise, going up rather than out, so you get tall, lofty results instead of flat spreads.
Pro Tips
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter; press straight down and lift. Twisting seals the edges and stunts the rise.
- The egg wash brushed on top gives golden color and slight shine.
- Serve warm with butter, jam, or honey. Cold biscuits lose their magic.
- Reroll scraps once. Twice and they turn tough.
- Freeze unbaked biscuits on the sheet, then bag them; bake from frozen, adding a few minutes.
Variations
- Stir in ½ cup chopped dried cherries, raisins, or currants for sweet biscuits.
- Add 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives) for a savory version.
- Brush warm baked biscuits with melted butter and dust with cinnamon-sugar.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).
In a food processor or a large bowl, mix 3 cups of the flour with the salt, sugar and baking powder.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is textured like cornmeal.
Separately mix the egg with the milk, and stir all but 2 tablespoon of this liquid into the dry mixture.
Mix just enough to make a uniformly moistened dough.
Dust a clean work surface with ½ the remaing flour, and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.
Sprinkle the top with the rest of the flour, and with floured hands, gently push the dough into a circle about ½ inch thick.
Cut with a 2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter, and place the cut buscuits close together on a greased corn meal coated cookie sheet.
You will get about 12 biscuits.
Brush the tops of the buscuits with the reserved milk egg mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes.
Cool for a few minutes before serving.
Note: Dried fruits can be added to batter.
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