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Recipe Detail Page
Flaky Biscuits
Winter 2018
This towering style of biscuit finds a crunchy, buttery exterior separating into soft, steamy layers. Credited to New Orleans chef Alon Shaya, they are worth the extra effort. To measure the flour, first squeeze the bag to loosen, then use the scoop and level method. Adapted from Mozza at Home by Nancy Silverton with Carolynn Carreño (Knopf, 2016).
Makes 12 biscuits
2½ cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup (250 mL) shaken buttermilk (preferably organic), chilled
Melted unsalted butter for brushing
Unsalted butter and honey for serving
1 Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Grate butter into bowl on large holes of a box grater. Briefly mix with fingers until butter is evenly distributed throughout flour. Gradually poor in buttermilk while mixing with a fork. Briefly knead just until shaggy dough forms. (It will seem a bit dry, but don’t worry—it will eventually come together.) Transfer to work surface.
2 Pat dough into a 10 x 7-inch (25 x 18-cm) rectangle with long side facing you. Fold rectangle into overlapping thirds like a letter. Rotate 90 degrees. Lightly roll into 10 x 7-inch (25 x 18-cm) rectangle. Repeat this process—fold, turn, roll—3 more times, ending with an 8½ x 6½-inch (21 x 16-cm) rectangle roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. (Lightly dust with flour during this process only if it’s sticky.) Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
3 Remove plastic wrap and transfer dough to work surface. With a sharp knife, trim edges to make a sharp rectangle. (Discard scraps or bake separately for a snack.) Cut into a 3-by-4 grid to make 12 even squares. Place on parchment-lined heavy-duty baking sheet 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.
4 When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
5 Brush biscuit tops with melted butter. Place on middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Bake until bottoms are deep brown and tops are golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Some biscuits will bake lopsided, but that’s the nature of the recipe. They are equally delicious.)
6 Serve warm with butter and honey.
Makes 12 biscuits
