Did you ever think you would hear the words Easy & Biscuits in the same sentence? Well, I have to admit I didn’t think I would! Back when I was in culinary school I remember forming butter into a 12×12 square about 1/4 inch thick and then laying it on the biscuit dough and then making all these fancy folds to get that flaky texture. The shortcut method I use in these biscuits is so quick and easy you can’t even tell I went through half the work and time.
One spring morning I had my mind set out on Sausage Gravy over biscuits! And when my mind is set on something, especially food, WATCH OUT! No seriously ask anyone who knows me well 🙂
So I made these the night before, cut them out and everything, and the just covered with saran wrap and placed in the fridge. The dough has yeast so I did not want them to puff up so the fridge kept them right where they needed to be until morning. You can bake these right away, or freeze them too. Freeze them before you cook or cook and then freeze.
Another thing to remember is even though we are baking you can still tweak here and there within the recipe. For instance, if you notice in the picture my biscuits aren’t completely white. I ran out of white flour so used about half white and the rest whole wheat and they turned out just fine. If you are thinking about a healthier option to sub out the butter- DON’T! These are biscuits and you will ruin the flaky texture if you do not add in the fat.
Another really cool shortcut tip I learned while watching the Food Network, was that instead of cutting in cold butter, you just make a well with your dry ingredients, add in your cold buttermilk, then pour in your melted butter. Now I am going to quiz you…………. What will happen when you pour melted butter into a cold liquid? Anybody?? Ding ding ding, you are right it is going to solidify and ball up creating “cutting in the butter” method desired. How genius is that? And I can’t even take credit for it, bummer!
Another note I want to make is if you don’t have a biscuit cutter, just use a knife or empty can of green beans or something. As you can see in the picture below I baked about half of my biscuits like the Pioneer Woman would, in a cast iron skillet! The rest I just baked on my stone.
- 5 c. white/whole wheat flour
- 1½ t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 5 T. sugar
- ¼ c. warm water (90-110 degrees F)
- ½ oz. (2 pkg.) active dry yeast
- 1 c. (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
- 2 c. buttermilk, cold
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients with only 3 T. of sugar.
- In a small bowl mix the warm water, yeast, and remaining 2 T. of sugar and let set for about 2-3 minutes or until foamy looking
- Make a well in the center of your dry mixture
- Pour in the yeast mixture and buttermilk
- Pour in the melted butter
- Gently fold dry into wet ingredients
- Keep mixing until ball forms
- Then gently knead about 12-15 times to create a smooth dough
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out until the thickness is about 1-1½ inches thick.
- Fold the dough in half, press to 1-1½ inches again and repeat one more time.
- Now grab your cutter and start cutting out the biscuits
- Place in a buttered dish
- Brish with more butter and bake!
- Enjoy!
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