Flaky Layer Biscuits Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl.
• Grate butter into dry ingredients and combine in 2 or 3 batches.
• Add buttermilk and mix until mixture is all crumbles. Hand knead/fold until all remaining dry ingredients are combined into a single ball.
• Turn out dough ball onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle approximately 1/2" thick. Fold thirds , rotate 1/4 turn and repeat until dough has been rolled and folded 5 - 7 times. Roll out final time 1/2" and cut biscuits.
• Place on baking tray (optionally, brush top of biscuits with melted butter) and put in oven for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown on top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450° (500° if using a convection oven).
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
• Cut cold butter or shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender.
• (Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs, with no large chunks of butter.) If butter gets very soft at this point, refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
• Add 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, stirring just to moisten all ingredients.
• Dough should be soft and moist; add remaining 1/4 cup as needed.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 10 times, or just untl dough holds together.
• Roll or pat dough into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle.
• With short side nearest you, spread top two-thirds of dough with 3 tablespoons soft butter, leaving bottom third, closest to you, unbuttered.
• Fold dough into thirds (like you would fold a letter) by pulling bottom third up over center and then pulling top third over middle.
• Turn dough so short side faces you.
• Pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle.
• In same manner, spread again with 3 tablespoons soft butter and fold letter style.
• Turn once more in the same manner.
• Pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle; spread with remaining 3 tablespoons soft butter and fold up.
• Work quickly and gently so as not to overwork dough.
• Pat dough into rectangle 3/4-inch thick on floured surface.
• Cut into squares with a sharp chef's knife.
• Place on pan, 1 inch apart.
• Lightly brush tops with melted butter.
• Bake in center of hot oven about 20 minutes (about 12 minutes in convection), until golden brown and firm.
• Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Grate the butter using the large holes of a box grater and add to the flour mixture. Quickly toss the butter with the flour mixture by hand until the butter is evenly distributed and coated with flour. Slowly drizzle the buttermilk over the flour mixture, using a fork to incorporate, until the mixture comes together in a shaggy dough. (There may be some dry bits remaining; don't overmix.)
• Turn the dough out onto a cutting board or work surface (the dough does not need to be floured at this point or for the first round of layers). Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 12 inches by 8 inches, using a bench scraper, bowl scraper or ruler to keep the edges straight. Cut the dough into 6 even pieces using a sharp knife and stack the pieces on top of each other, making sure to line up the edges. If any large bits of dough come off, gently press them back while taking care to maintain the shape and even thickness. Any small bits of dough that fall off can be tucked away between the stacked pieces. This creates the first set of layers. The dough may seem like it's not hydrated enough, but it will come together.
• Lightly dust the work surface and stack of dough with flour. Use a rolling pin to press the stack down and roll out back to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 12 inches by 8 inches, making sure the layers of dough stay lined up and even with one another (see Cook's Note). Dust the surface of the dough once more lightly with flour. This helps to provide definition between the layers. Cut the dough once more into 6 even pieces and stack them on top of each other to create a second set of layers. Repeat dusting, pressing down, rolling out, dusting, cutting and stacking one more time, dusting the work surface with flour as needed, to create a third set of layers, 18 layers total.
• Roll out the stack of dough to a thickness of about 1 1/2 inches. Cut out 9 biscuits with a floured 2 1/4-inch round cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Do not twist the cutter or it will seal the sides and prevent the layers from rising. Press together the remaining scraps of dough and cut out 3 more biscuits. Transfer the rest of the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and transfer the baking sheet to the freezer while the oven preheats and until the biscuits are thoroughly chilled, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Brush the biscuit tops with buttermilk, taking care to keep the sides dry. Bake until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter as desired and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar, and stir until well mixed; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add butter, and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the size of peas. Add buttermilk, and mix with a spoon just until it forms a sticky dough.
• Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and bring dough together. Roll dough into an 8-by-11-by-3/4-inch rectangle, and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon sugar in the center section of the rectangle. Use a bench scraper or a spatula to lift the ends, folding the rectangle like a letter into thirds toward the center. Before folding the second end over, sprinkle another 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon sugar onto the opposite flap. Fold the second flap over. Give the dough a quarter turn, and repeat the rolling, sprinkling, and folding. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Remove from refrigerator, and return to work surface. Roll to a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, and repeat sprinkling and folding method as in step 2 (when rolling out the second time, do not fold). Cut out with a 2 1/4-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, and transfer to a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle tops with remaining cinnamon sugar, and place in 500 degree oven for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking until biscuits begin to brown all over, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and yogurt; place in refrigerator until ready to use.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• Place a large plate or small rimmed baking sheet on top of a kitchen scale and zero the scale. Remove the butter from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a flat, open hand, position the butter lengthwise against the large holes of a box grater. Grate as much butter as you can without grating your fingers or hand until you have a total of 5 ounces/140 grams grated frozen butter.
• Immediately transfer the grated butter to the large bowl with the flour mixture and toss gently with your fingertips until the butter is thoroughly coated in the flour mixture and no clumps of butter remain.
• Add the refrigerated milk-yogurt mixture to the large bowl and fold the mixture until it forms a very rough, shaggy ball. Dump the mixture out onto a generously floured countertop and, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking, knead four to five times until dough just holds together. Flatten into a rough 4-inch square with your hands.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture out into a rough 12-inch square, flouring generously as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter or the rolling pin. Using a bench scraper, fold the sides of the square across the center in thirds like a business letter. Flatten gently with your hand, then fold the top and bottom thirds into the center to form a rough 4-inch square. Flatten the square out with your hands.
• Roll the square out into a 12-inch square again. Starting at the bottom edge, roll the dough up like a jelly roll into a tight log. Lay the log seam-side down, then press into a rough 3-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle crosswise into four 3-by-3-inch squares, then cut each square across the diagonal to form 2 triangles (for a total of 8 triangles). Transfer the triangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them out evenly.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter and brush it over the tops of the biscuits. Bake until golden brown and puffed, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove biscuits from oven and brush the tops with a little more melted butter. Allow to cool slightly, then serve.