Have you been using the wrong flour when baking biscuits?
Does your butter cutter need sharpening?
Are you slacking on your measuring?
These are mistakes everyone makes when baking biscuits.
Butter is one of the key ingredients of biscuits.
Without it, biscuits would just be dry dough balls begging for some fat.
Butter is what helps give pastries height as well as a soft crumb and rich taste.
When pieces of cold butter hit the oven, they melt, creating pockets of air that give you
those beautiful, flaky layers in a biscuit.
Incorporating cold butter into flour is appropriately called the biscuit method.
To accomplish this, butter is added to the flour before any wet ingredients, and then
cut into smaller and smaller pieces until the mixture takes on a mealy consistency,
and small pieces are visible.
It is important to make sure your butter pieces aren't too big.
If they are, this can cause problems when the remaining ingredients are incorporated
into the flour and butter.
This will result in biscuits that are floury and filled with holes where that butter once
was.
Equally as detrimental to cutting the butter too large is cutting the butter too small.
Cutting the butter too small can cause two main problems.
The first is that you can inadvertently end up overworking the dough and create a tough
biscuit.
The other problem is that without those pea-sized chunks of butter, you aren't going to get
beautiful, flakey layers.
There will be no pockets of butter to melt.
To avoid cutting the butter too small, it is generally suggested to stay away from cooking
appliances such as electric mixers.
These cream the butter rather than cut it, and that means they have no place in the biscuit
world.
It is generally considered better to cut in the butter manually.
Food processors can be used, but should be monitored carefully so as not to over-cut
the butter.
If you are concerned about the size of your butter chunks, one biscuit-making hack to
ensure the perfect size every time is to use a box grater to grate frozen butter right
into your flour.
This will result in pieces that aren't too big and aren't too small.
While we are on the subject of butter, there is one more thing you should be aware of.
Only cold butter should be used when making biscuits.
Well-chilled or even frozen butter is ideal.
The colder the better, really; now's not the time for room temperature butter.
We know what you're thinking:
"How important is butter to this meal tonight?"
The answer is "very important."
Using cold butter prevents it from incorporating into the dough before you want it to.
Remember how we said that over-mixing can create tough biscuits?
Same with using room temperature butter.
If the butter isn't cold when it goes into the oven, it won't be able to hold its shape
to release those tiny pockets of steam, which give the biscuit those beautiful flakes.
Instead, your biscuits will likely turn out something closer to a shortbread.
Still delicious, but decidedly not a biscuit.
To achieve a flaky pastry and crispy top, it should be cold butter all the way.
The South is synonymous with buttermilk biscuits.
Buttermilk isn't just there for show; it has a real purpose.
It does double duty, both as a leavening agent to raise the roof of your biscuits and as
a tenderizer, providing a soft, delicate crumb.
That's because the acid in the buttermilk helps soften the gluten, the protein responsible
for holding baked goods together.
It is this acid that also reacts with baking soda to give more volume and rise.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, whole milk mixed with some vinegar or lemon juice
works well as a substitute.
And shockingly, if a bit gimmicky, mayonnaise can work as a secret ingredient in a tender
biscuit, acting as both the acid and the fat.
If you really don't have anything in your kitchen that could give a kick of acidity,
you can try swapping out the baking soda with baking powder, though note that the amount
needed will be different.
You may think that bag of generic, all-purpose flour in your pantry will make you good biscuits.
Why wouldn't you?
It is called "all-purpose," isn't it?
Well, the truth of the matter is that while you certainly could use it to make biscuits,
it's far from ideal.
Time and time again, tests of different brands have shown that while there are a lot of wrong
flours, there is only one right flour to use for making biscuits.
Cooking on the Side tested three different flours: Gold-Medal All-Purpose with baking
powder and salt added, White Lily self-rising, and a store brand self-rising.
Allrecipes took their test one step further, testing six different brands including fan
favorites such as Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur.
They both came to the conclusion that the answer is White Lily.
The biscuits made with this particular brand were soft and light and produced an excellent
height.
It is no wonder it is the brand of flour used exclusively in Chick-Fil-A's famous biscuits.
The reason comes down to basic science.
White Lily is made with low-protein wheat, with a protein content of 11%, according to
the company.
NPR says a lower protein content prevents too much gluten from forming, keeping the
biscuits tender and allowing the leavening agents to work their magic.
You've got all your ingredients together: The butter is chilled and cut appropriately,
and you have the best flour for biscuit making.
Now it's time to put it all together.
Don't mess up your perfect dough by mixing it incorrectly.
First, you want to make sure not to undermix your ingredients.
This should be easy enough to catch because if the dough is undermixed, it will be crumbly
and likely not hold together.
As such, it will be noticeably difficult to roll out.
Undermixing doesn't allow the liquid to evenly disperse, and it doesn't allow gluten bonds
to develop in the pastry.
Both of these properties contribute to the dough's ability to maintain its shape.
If you notice your dough crumbling and not holding the way it should, try giving it a
few more light mixes and see if that improves the texture.
Of course, when it comes to mixing, there is absolutely too much of a good thing, and
overmixing can be just as damaging to biscuit dough as undermixing.
When a dough is overmixed, it can cause too much gluten development, which leads to tough,
chewy biscuits.
The dough will hold together a little too well, and the end result will not be the pleasant
light biscuit that you want.
Overmixing can also cause the butter to break down into smaller pieces and incorporate too
much with the dough, leading to a whole host of problems.
When it comes to biscuits, mix the bare minimum you can until all the ingredients are evenly
incorporated ... and then stop!
"Would that it were so simple."
"Would that it 'twere so simple."
"Keep your head still.
Would that it were so simple."
"Would that it 'twere so simple."
The way you cut your biscuits has a huge impact on the final result.
A lot of people think it is straightforward: You grab your cutter of choice, press and
twist, and out pops a perfectly circular biscuit ripe for the oven.
Anyone who ever used Play-Doh can do it, right?
Wrong.
When cutting biscuits, the first thing you need is a sharp cutting tool.
That's because a dull cutter is more likely to press and seal edges rather than cut straight
through them.
This is the same reason it isn't recommended that you use a cup or glass in place of a
true cutter.
When cutting, you also want to ensure the cutter is going straight down and back up again.
No twisting!
Twisting your cutter will also cause the dough to seal, preventing your biscuits from rising
correctly.
Look, we know it's tempting.
The biscuit dough is cut, but now you have this patchwork of shredded dough.
You want to reroll it and make more; no delicious biscuit dough should go to waste.
But you must resist the temptation.
Rerolling dough more than once or twice can lead to a number of problems.
As you roll, the gluten bonds form and tighten, and you could end up with increasingly tough
dough with each work of that pin.
If you are dead-set against throwing any biscuit dough away, there are a couple options.
The Spruce Eats recommends instead of rolling and cutting, simply shaping biscuits by forming
dough balls.
If you prefer to cut them with a traditional cutter, The Kitchn recommends freezing any
leftover scraps and adding them to soups and stews later down the line as a quick and easy
dumpling substitute.
You can also just cook those scraps in their misshapen state.
They may look funky, but they will taste delicious.
Again, using chilled ingredients when making biscuits is really, really, important.
One biscuit-making secret even involves chilling the flour beforehand and doing your best not
to touch the dough with your hands, lest they warm up the dough.
You can avoid issues like this by doing one simple thing: chilling your dough before baking.
According to King Arthur Flour, simply pop your baking sheet with your cut dough into
the fridge and let it chill for a bit.
This will allow the gluten to relax and give you a softer dough, and it will also give
any butter that has softened time to re solidify.
It's a win-win!
But wait, if biscuit dough should be refrigerated, does that mean you can freeze it?
It sure does!
Biscuit dough freezes beautifully.
According to Taste of Home, simply place your cut biscuit dough on a baking sheet and freeze.
Once the dough is frozen into pucks, put them inside a freezer bag for use later when a
hankering for fresh-made biscuits strikes you.
When it comes time to bake, you don't even need to thaw them; just put them in the oven
and add an additional 5–10 minutes to the suggested baking time.
As Mr. Freeze would say,
"Alright, everyone, chill.
Chill."
Biscuits bake best at a higher temperature than a lot of other baked goods.
While cookies are generally happy at 350 degrees, biscuits baked at that temperature would likely
be floppy and flat.
According to Southern Kitchen, biscuits need a high heat, at least 425 degrees minimum,
so that the butter and buttermilk release steam, causing the biscuits to rise.
Without that steam, you aren't going to get a tall biscuit.
While we're at it, it is probably a good idea to check the internal temperature of your oven.
As Handle the Heat points out, even if your oven is reading a certain temperature, it
may still be running low.
According to Bon Appétit, oven temperatures can be off by as much as 75 degrees.
Luckily, there is an easy way to check on your oven.
An inexpensive oven thermometer can help ensure the correct temperature and a perfect bake
in your oven every time.
Measurements seem straightforward, but when it comes to flour, it really isn't.
If a recipe calls for a weighted measurement of flour, it is worth investing in a digital
kitchen scale in order to get the weight correct.
That said, many recipes call for cup measurements of flour.
The problem is, if you don't measure your cup correctly, you could end up with way too
much flour in your mix.
When The Spruce Eats tested flour measuring methods, they found that improperly scooped
flour could add up to 20% more flour to a recipe.
That is a big difference.
According to Love & Lemons, the best way to measure flour accurately, aside from weighing,
is to use a spoon.
Fluff your flour using the spoon to get rid of any clumping or density.
Then use the spoon to lightly scoop the flour into your measuring cup.
Do not press down or pack your flour in any way.
When the measuring cup is full, use the flat back of a knife to level off the measuring
cup, and you should be left with a perfect cup of flour.
Before you reach for that electric mixer to make biscuits, stop!
Using either a stand-up mixer or a handheld mixer is a surefire way to deflate your biscuits.
When making biscuits, we aren't looking to cream the butter as for cookies or cakes.
Instead, we want to cut the butter into the dough.
When you use an electric mixer like you would when creaming butter and sugar, not only will
it warm up the butter, leading to dense results, but the dough is also more likely to become
overworked, leading to tough biscuits.
If you would still prefer to cut in the butter using an electric device, reach for the food
processor instead.
Cook's Illustrated notes that using a food processor can help you achieve a perfectly
blended, evenly risen biscuit.
First, use the food processors to mix all the dry ingredients.
Then add your cold butter into the processor a little at a time, pulsing in between each
addition of butter until the dough consists of rough chunks no larger than a pea and are
evenly distributed.
Finally, remove your dough from the food processor to prevent over-mixing before adding the liquid.
Is this a bit hypocritical to say after scaring you with an entire video about mistakes you
almost certainly have made while baking?
Probably.
But it's true.
Biscuits are incredibly forgiving.
If you have ever committed any of these biscuit sins, you likely still ended up with an edible biscuit.
"Is that all you think about?"
"Biscuits!
Please, please, please.
Nothing else matters!
Biscuits please!"
If you have chosen to make your own biscuits rather than buy them, don't get so caught
up in doing everything perfectly.
Baking is supposed to be a peaceful activity.
Plus, practice makes perfect; if they don't turn out the way you hoped the first time,
you can always eat this batch and try again later.
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