Chef notes
The goal with biscuits is for them to be light and flaky but still moist. Buttermilk gives these biscuits great flavor and grating the cold butter instead of dicing it makes them very flaky. A sprinkling of sea salt before baking adds even more flavor.
Technique tip: Grate very cold butter with a box grater (as you would carrots) onto parchment paper to move it easily. Dice any leftover pieces and add them to the dough.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- kosher salt
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 cold extra-large egg
- 1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
- flaked sea salt, such as Maldon
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2.Place the flour, baking powder and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix only until combined.
3.Combine all the buttermilk and one egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until all of the dough is moistened.
4.Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead quickly about 6 times. Roll the dough out 3/4-inch thick. Cut with a 2½-inch round (not fluted) cutter and place on the prepared sheet pan (you can reroll the scraps to make one or two more biscuits). Brush the tops with egg wash, sprinkle with flaked salt, and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.
Reprinted with permission from "Go-To Dinners." Copyright © 2022 by Ina Garten. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Quentin Bacon. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.
