Biscuits
Biscuits
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| KAF guaranteed, quick-n-easy | |
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| Yield: | 9 to 11 biscuits |
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, enough to make a cohesive dough
- 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
1) Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in enough heavy cream to moisten the dough thoroughly. You'll probably use about 1 cup in the summer, 1 1/4 cups in the winter, and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons at the turn of the seasons. You want to be able to gather the dough together, squeeze it, and have it hang together easily, without dry bits falling off.
2) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and very gently pat it into an 8" circle about 3/4" thick. If you're uncertain about your ability to make a nice freeform 8" round, pat the dough into a lightly floured 8" round cake pan, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
3) Use a sharp 2 ¼" biscuit cutter to cut rounds. Place them on a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet.
4) Brush the biscuits with butter, if desired, for extra flavor.
5) Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will improve the biscuits' texture and rise.
6) Preheat the oven to 425°F while the biscuits are in the freezer.
7) Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove from the oven. If you have any melted butter left over, brush it on the baked biscuits. Serve immediately.
Reviews
04/06/2012- They were not the most exciting or best tasting biscuits I've ever had but they rose nicely and they were flaky.
03/25/2012- I didn't bother with the biscuit cutter, just shaped into a square and cut into 9 pieces. I was too hungry to wait out the full half hour in the freezer, so they rested in there for only 10 minutes while the oven preheated. I was too lazy to brush with melted butter... and they come out just lovely! Soft and tender, with just a little crunch on the outside. Thanks again KAF.
- 02/27/2012
- I made these this weekend for my family and they were a huge success! My husband and I think that they were the best biscuits that we have ever had. The only changes that I made were that I used a smaller biscuit cutter and that I baked them on an ungreased pizza stone. I also forgot to brush them with butter and they were still fabulous! I can't wait to make them again this weekend for some out of town guests! I might try adding a bit more sugar or serving them with honey butter.
02/18/2012- I tried this recipe last night, and was very disappointed with the results. I'm quite surprised because the baking knowledge and science in this recipe made a lot of sense to me. I consider myself a fairly skilled baker; I weighed all of my ingredients, was careful to make sure the moisture content of my dough was as described, froze the biscuits for 30 mins, and used all of the right ingredients. The resulting biscuits did not rise very well, though they did have good flavor.
I'm sorry these didn't turn out for you. Is there any chance your baking powder was expired? ~Amy
- 01/13/2012
- Well I tried it and it was really wet so I added more flour till I had a good dough. I don't have room in my freezer for a cookie sheet so I put it in the fridge. They didn't taste like biscuits at all:( I should stick with bisquick.
I am sorry these did not turn out for you. Instead of adding flour, which will compromise the flavor, hold back on the heavy cream and start with the minimum amount called for in the recipe only increasing if necessary. ~Amy
- 01/11/2012
- Let me preface by saying I LOVE Cracker Barrels biscuits because they are amazingly tender and delicious. So basically, I have been looking for a classic, tender biscuit (Pioneer Style). Too much Little House On The Prairie and Dr. Quinn watchin I guess. lol Well, I only had 1 1/4 AP Flour and wanted to make sure the protein content wasn't too high so instead of using the Wheat Flour I used 1/2 cup Cake Flour. I ended up using 1 Cup and 2 TBSP Heavy Cream. The dough was so soft and moist I knew it was looking good. I brushed the tops with butter before and after baking. These biscuits immediately began to rise and by the time I pulled them out they were calling my name. The knife slid through like it was hot and those biscuits were butter - lol - which I added to each inner layer after cutting. They MELTED in my mouth and I got weak in the knees with that first bite (eye rolling and all). Now it may be my oven but the tops were not as brown as the picture which is perfectly okay with me (I'm used to tender biscuits being that way) and I didn't need 20 minutes. About 15-16 was just fine. One tip I would also share is to forego making them wide and make them taller or increase the recipe to make them that way if you prefer. The last biscuit, the one that's formed from the cut away scraps was the best one because it ended up being the tallest. I put them all touching (circle) for baking and that one was in the middle. It was PERFECT! I'll be keeping heavy cream on hand from now on! This is my go to biscuit recipe.
- 01/07/2012
- I was pleasantly surprised by the results as I had no heavy cream available so I used milk instead but they rose beautifully and the texture was so nice and soft as if I bought them at a restaurant. The butter before and after baking did indeed add a nice flavor. I love King Arthur Flour recipes and this one did not disappoint but I will ensure I have heavy cream the next time I make them because I can only imagine how lovely they will be. My oven is pretty hot so I only baked them at 400 degrees because any higher it would have burnt. Compared to other biscuit recipes I have tried, this is at the top of my list. Thanks King Arthur Flour staff!
- 11/13/2011
- I used bread flour instead of all purpose flour, and milk instead of cream. My biscuits, while tasty.....were very dense and chewy. And they were very brown with 5 min. left to go. Can't blame it on the oven, it's brand new.
Would the flour make that much difference?
Thanks!
~L
Yes, the ingredient change is the reason for the dense and chewy biscuits. Bread Flour is designed exclusively for yeasted bread baking. It is much too strong for biscuits. Before experimenting with ingredient substitutions, I suggest making the recipe as written. Frank @ KAF.
- 11/08/2011
- I weighed my dry ingredients and still had to add a liitle extra cream to incorporate all of the flour. The biscuits tasted good, but they didn't rise well at all. I used Bakewell Cream baking powder that has only been opened four months - I know baking powder has a short shelf life, but I've always been able to use other brands for a year after opening. Not sure what went wrong.
It sounds like it may still have been a little dry. Give the hotline a call, and the bakers will be happy to help troubleshoot. MJR @ KAF
- 11/05/2011
- Another great KAF recipe. I used them for dumplings. I patted the dough out, cut into pie wedges, and put them on top of a boiling pot of chicken, broth and vegies. Covered and cooked until done. It was the best pot of chicken and dumplings we have ever had! Thanks once again KAF.
