Bake
Light and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
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15 Reviews
D'vora R.
November 1, 2020
Thank you for sharing, I thought these were wonderful, flight, and flaky. I don't have a stand mixer so I used a cheese grater on my butter (then stuck it back in the freezer) instead of chopping it into chunks. That worked well.
Cookingmom
May 3, 2020
These biscuits are everything the recipe says it is: light, flaky, and delicious! My whole family finished the entire batch. I can't wait to make these again!
weyams
April 23, 2020
I baked this recipe on a whim and because I respect Samin as a chef. My past includes baking professionally for over 10 years. This recipe is way out of dry to wet balance. I weighed the flour and measured the rest. After folding in the flour if I were to attempt to make a biscuit it would look like a fried egg. I added two more cups of flour in parts as needed approximately. I know the feel of a biscuit dough. Having done this provided a good product. Now that I have read a few other reviews it is evident there is a problem and I would suggest the Chef remake this formula as is to check its performance. With the addition of flour the biscuits came out great. I would add a pic if I could figure out how to load it. This is simply a heads up to future bakers of this biscuit recipe.
Gal
April 7, 2019
A few words/explanations behind the idea of making a flaky dough:
1) Fat matters! Flaky pastry or dough relies on large lumps of shortening mixed into the dough. Flakiness comes from the solid fat (In this recipe it's butter, buttermilk, heavy cream). The idea of any flaky pastry is to incorporate thin layers of fat between the layers of dough. The fat (cold butter, directly from the freezer) is mixed (“cut”) into the flour so it is left in chunks. During baking, this is when the very cold pieces of butter melts in the oven, leaving air pockets between the thin pastry layers after they have firmed, resulting in loads of crisp, flaky layers. The evaporating of water in the butter will create steam, which helps the “puffing”.
The size of the fat pieces in the raw dough determines the quality of the flakiness in the crust: The larger the pieced of fat, the larger the flakes.
2) Temperature matters! Keeping the butter super cold (Samin says to freeze the cubed butter and the buttermilk for 15 minutes, on Step 2) also helps when making this dough (and other short crust pastry) because it doesn't melt into the flour when you are working it in. In this recipe (And with puff), cold butter provides the vital barrier and air pockets between the pastry that translates into delicious flakiness.
3) Applying proper lamination technique is important! This means folding butter into dough multiple times to create very thin alternating layers of butter and dough (Step 7 on this recipe).
1) Fat matters! Flaky pastry or dough relies on large lumps of shortening mixed into the dough. Flakiness comes from the solid fat (In this recipe it's butter, buttermilk, heavy cream). The idea of any flaky pastry is to incorporate thin layers of fat between the layers of dough. The fat (cold butter, directly from the freezer) is mixed (“cut”) into the flour so it is left in chunks. During baking, this is when the very cold pieces of butter melts in the oven, leaving air pockets between the thin pastry layers after they have firmed, resulting in loads of crisp, flaky layers. The evaporating of water in the butter will create steam, which helps the “puffing”.
The size of the fat pieces in the raw dough determines the quality of the flakiness in the crust: The larger the pieced of fat, the larger the flakes.
2) Temperature matters! Keeping the butter super cold (Samin says to freeze the cubed butter and the buttermilk for 15 minutes, on Step 2) also helps when making this dough (and other short crust pastry) because it doesn't melt into the flour when you are working it in. In this recipe (And with puff), cold butter provides the vital barrier and air pockets between the pastry that translates into delicious flakiness.
3) Applying proper lamination technique is important! This means folding butter into dough multiple times to create very thin alternating layers of butter and dough (Step 7 on this recipe).
Kt4
January 22, 2019
Samin, what are your thoughts on freezing half the butter and grating it instead of cubing it? Might it incorporate better? Esp for someone without a mixer or food processor.
Regine
January 28, 2018
I have tried 2 other biscuit recipes and both failed due to my dough being too wet and not “cut-able.” Yet, I am an experienced cake and bread baker. I am afraid to try this one. LOL
How wet is the dough? Video shows it is easily spread on table, folded and cut. But 2 cups liquid for 3 1/2 cup flour sounds like it will yield a very wet dough. Any advice-feedback?
How wet is the dough? Video shows it is easily spread on table, folded and cut. But 2 cups liquid for 3 1/2 cup flour sounds like it will yield a very wet dough. Any advice-feedback?
Tamara E.
February 6, 2020
It is a pretty wet dough. I usually dont need to add all the liquid, with about 1/4 cup remaining which I use to brush tops. Flour your board well tok.
Brian
November 6, 2017
I made these yesterday, following the recipe and no substitutions. The only change I made was that I immediately freeze the dough after cutting into shapes. I took one out this morning and baked at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes, until lightly browned on top. The biscuit came out amazingly delicious, light and flaky. I highly recommend this recipe.
creamtea
July 4, 2017
These came out beautifully. I didn't have cream or buttermilk so I substituted yogurt (happened to be goat-milk yogurt) and whole milk. I sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on the tops after brushing with milk. They were lovely.
Maureen
May 29, 2017
I'm sorry to say that this recipe just did not work as expected. I followed it to the letter including briefly freezing buttermilk and chilling bowl and beater. I used fresh baking powder yet the biscuits did not rise at all. They also did not brown on top despite cream wash. A major disappointment considering the effort and expense of the ingredients.
Rich
May 3, 2017
Raw.
Watch the video: https://food52.com/blog/19305-watch-samin-nosrat-make-rule-breaking-supremely-flaky-biscuits?utm_campaign=20170503_eds_cookingcamp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=9514395
Watch the video: https://food52.com/blog/19305-watch-samin-nosrat-make-rule-breaking-supremely-flaky-biscuits?utm_campaign=20170503_eds_cookingcamp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=9514395
Mobar
May 3, 2017
To freeze biscuits -- are we directed to freeze the raw dough or the already baked biscuit? Thanks!
Stephanie G.
April 29, 2017
See above author's note...food processor of pastry cutter. It will take much longer but is possible.
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