The Tallest, Flakiest Buttermilk Biscuits

During quarantine, I tested two biscuit recipes. I wanted height and flakiness and both of these recipes achieved that. Fox in the Snow Cafe’s biscuits are more traditional with the classic buttermilk flavor that wouldn’t compete with other dishes during Thanksgiving. Chef Mei’s Cheddar Scallion Biscuits will give you the crisp edged, impressive layered look on the cut sides. I prefer them eaten on their own because they have so much flavor from the cheddar and scallions. Both recipes can be prepped ahead.

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Fox in the Snow Cafe’s Biscuits

Ingredients:
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for surface
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
2 cups buttermilk
2 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda, 2 cups flour and chilled butter in a food processor until largest pieces of butter are the size of a nickel. Transfer to a large bowl with the remaining flour and toss together until butter appears evenly distributed. Add buttermilk over entire mixture all at once and knead mixture until a shaggy dough forms and almost no dry is left at the bottom of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into roughly a 12”-14” thick rectangle.

Begin by doing a tri-fold, starting from the left, fold the dough halfway to the center, and then fold from the right over top of the first fold. Press down to make sure dough is compact and flatten out again to make a rectangle shape. Rotate dough 90 degrees and fold the dough from the top down. Again, press dough down and reshape into a rectangle. Rotate 90 degrees again, and fold from left to right. Repeat the process 2 more times, ending with a fold from left to right.

Using a rolling pin, adjust dough to desired thickness, about 3/4 of the height of your biscuit cutter. Dip biscuit cutter into the flour to prevent sticking, and then cut straight up and down, careful not to twist the biscuit cutter. You should get about 4 biscuits out of your first rectangle.

Press remaining dough together and reshape into a small rectangle. Cut out 2 additional biscuits. Repeat as many time as necessary until only a small amount of dough remains.

Mix egg yolks and heavy cream with a fork until blended. Brush tops of biscuits lightly with mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Makes approx. 8 biscuits.

Reprinted with permission from Fox in the Snow Cafe. See more recipes here.

Baking tips:

If you don’t have buttermilk…
You can make your own. It won’t have the same thickness but will work just as well in a pinch. Substitute 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Combine the two and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Keep the butter pieces in large chunks.
A lot of dough recipes say to incorporate butter until they’re the size of peas. Here, the recommended sized is a nickel. When cooking, the pockets of steam surrounding the butter pieces will be even larger, ensuring SUPER flaky layers.

Don’t be afraid to work the dough.
There is a lot of butter (3 sticks!) in this recipe. After adding the buttermilk, combine in a bowl until there are very minimal dry flour bits. You can work those in when turned out on the counter. And be patient, it will smooth out by the end of all your folds.

Avoid twisting the biscuit cutter.
Push straight down and lift up. If you twist the cutter, you’re sealing off the layers and they won’t rise when in the oven.

You can freeze the biscuits.
Once you’ve cut out the biscuits, place on a sheet pan and brush the tops with egg wash. Then freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight bag for more compact storage. Bake for the stated amount of time, but you may need another 5-10 minutes at 25°F lower temp, to ensure the biscuits are cooked through in the middle.

Because of the leavening agents in the dough, it’s best to bake within 30 days. You can also freeze the biscuits after they’ve been baked! They reheat well.

If you make them, I’d love to see. Tag me on Instagram @pastrywithjenn.

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