ULTIMATE FLAKY BISCUIT

America’s Test Kitchen

                                                                Yield: 12  biscuits

Ingredients

3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (higher protein flour/higher gluten)

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 sticks/8 oz. unsalted butter, frozen for 30 minutes

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F.

1.     In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

2.     Toss slightly frozen sticks of butter in flour mixture to enable easier handling. On a piece of parchment grate the butter reserving 1 Tbsp. From each stick for melting to coat top of biscuits.

3.     Add the grated butter into the flour and toss the grated butter slivers coating each piece completely. DO NOT work butter into flour mixture. Just coat butter pieces totally. Add buttermilk and just barely mix into mixture. It will just start to come together.

4.     Flour a clean, flat surface and transfer flour/butter mixture onto floured surface. Pat gently together into a 7-inch square using a bench scraper, not your hands (this will heat the butter which you do not want). Roll into a 9x12-inch rectangle, with shorter end toward you on the tabletop. This will be folded in thirds, once away from you, like a letter, then the top third fold back over first fold toward you (two folds). Flatten and shape into a log and rotate short end toward you on the tabletop.

5.     Roll out again without touching it too much, into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. Fold again in thirds and repeat the patting and rotating. This process will be done a total of 5 time. By the time it is done 3 times, the dough will be less rough, much smoother and there should now be obvious layers within the dough. With the fifth and final, roll out evenly into a 10-inch square, the dough will be a bit stiffer as the gluten is developing with handling. Do not roll out hard because the butter will pop out of between the layers. You want the dough to be evenly flat and butter evenly distributed. Transfer to a parchment-covered baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to cool butter and dough.

6.     Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, flour a knife and trim off 1/4-inch from each side of the square of dough (this will allow for the dough to raise completely while baking and using a very sharp knife will prevent you from squishing down the butter while you trip off the edge.) With a floured knife, cut the dough into 12 squares of dough.

7.     Transfer biscuits to a parchment-covered baking pan, placing at least 1-inch apart from each other.  Brush tops of each biscuit with remaining melted butter generously.

8.      Bake in 400°F. oven on upper-middle rack for 20-25 minutes until very golden brown on top and baked all the way thru, rotating the tray 180° halfway thru the baking time. Remove from oven and serve.