Butter Biscuits May 10, 2021

Butter Biscuits

Makes 15

6 cups (750 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (30 grams) baking powder

1 tablespoon (14 grams) Morton kosher salt

2 sticks (8 oz/226 grams) cold unsalted butter

2 and up to 3 cups (475-700 ml) whole milk

Heat a standard (not convection) oven to 400° and position one of the racks in the top third position.

Line a 3/4 sheet pan with parchment.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir until the dry ingredients are well combined. Using a pastry blender, a heavy dinner fork, or a potato masher, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse mashed potatoes. You should see small lumps and flakes of butter mixed with the flour.

Using a rubber scraper or a Danish whisk, stir in 2 cups of milk all at once. Add the remaining cup of milk as needed, a little at a time, until all the flour has been moistened, but be careful to not add so much milk that the dough turns into a batter.

Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of flour onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Tip the dough from the bowl onto the flour, sprinkle it with another spoonful of flour, and pat it into a 9″ x 12″ rectangle that is about 1.5″ thick. Fold in the short sides as if you were preparing a business letter, then pat the dough into another 9″ x 12″ rectangle. Repeat folding and patting two more times.

Using a bench scraper, divide the dough evenly into 15 rectangles. Separate the biscuits so that they are at least a finger-width apart on the baking sheet. Place the biscuits on the rack in the top third of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned and the center of a biscuit has reached 190°F/87°C or more.

Serve hot.