Mile-High Buttermilk Biscuits {A Tutorial}

Mile-Hgh buttermilk biscuits, a tutorial.

Today I’m going to teach you how to make tall, fluffy buttermilk biscuits. The process is similar to my scone tutorial, but varies just enough to warrant another tutorial. Since I love kitchen science and baking methods, I don’t mind yammering on about carbs.

There are biscuits, and then there are BISCUITS. If you talk to five different people, they’ll give you five different theories on how to make biscuits. Each person has their own unique method, none of which are wrong.

Here is my theory: If I’m going to eat a biscuit, said biscuit has to be worthy for the taking. I like my biscuits tall, at least 2-inches. A mammoth biscuit, if you will. My perfect biscuit must be buttery, tender, and airy. No, not one or the other. It has to encompass all three of those traits. There is nothing worse than a flat, dry biscuit that can be used as a hockey puck (I’m talkin’ to you, dad).

I’m going to lay some baking science on ya. Ready?

1. All of your ingredients MUST be cold. Butter, eggs, buttermilk…all cold. I even go so far as to measure my flour and add it to the bowl I’ll be mixing my biscuit dough in. I then place the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. The cold bowl keeps your dough chilled while you’re making the biscuit dough. I prefer to use a metal bowl because it takes less time to chill in the freezer and it stays cold while you’re mixing.
2. Check the dates on your baking soda and baking powder. I’ve made the mistake of not checking the date in the past and used out-of-date baking powder. You don’t want to go through all the effort of making biscuit dough and not have your biscuits rise. Check your dates.
3. Mix your dry ingredients before adding your wet ingredients. I know this sounds obvious, but it’s a step that shouldn’t be skipped or taken lightly. If you don’t mix the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients, you’ll end up with excess pockets of baking powder or salt in one area and not enough in another. You want all of the ingredients to be well incorporated.
4. Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes. Place the butter cubes in the freezer for 3 minutes to chill.
5. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a measuring cup. Store the measuring cup in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
6. Your hands are your best tools when making biscuits. A spoon or rubber spatula won’t do the job. So, get those hands dirty!
7. DO NOT over mix the dough. Over mixing can lead to tough biscuits. You’ll want to mix the dough—using your hands—until the dough just comes together.
8. Preheat your oven. Do not skip this step. If your oven isn’t fully preheated, your biscuits will not rise as high.

How do biscuits rise? I’m so glad you asked.

The combination of baking powder, steam, and high oven temperature cause the biscuits to plump and rise. Baking powder is a chemical leavening agent that creates volume when heat is introduced. As the biscuit dough heats up in the oven, the butter begins to melt, creating steam. The combination of steam and baking powder pushes the dough upward for a tall rise.

The method:

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Using a pastry cutter, fork, or two knives, cut the butter into the dough.

When the dough resembles coarse crumbs, the mixture is ready. A simple way to make sure the butter is equally incorporated into the dough is to pinch the dough between your fingers. If the dough sticks together, your mixture is ready.

Add the wet ingredients to the butter and flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to a lightly-floured surface. Using your hands, form the dough into a 1-inch disk.

Using a biscuit cutter or inverted drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds. Place the biscuits on a gently greased baking sheet, spacing them 4-inches apart. Bake until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown, about 20-22 minutes.

These massive biscuits have a crunchy, golden brown exterior that break through to buttery center that melts in your mouth. They’re best slathered with butter. If you really want to make these biscuits special, add a healthy smear of peach butter or strawberry-balsamic jam.

I like big biscuits and I can not lie!

These mammoth biscuits are being featured over at Food Fanatic today.