Description
This quick small batch biscuit recipe makes just 4 biscuits! Perfect for a simple breakfast or brunch for two.
Ingredients
- 57 grams unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (about 1/4 cup, or ½ stick)
- 115 grams milk (about 1/2 cup)
- 150 grams all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting (about 1 1/4 cups when measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
- 7 grams aluminum-free baking powder (2 teaspoons)
- 2 grams baking soda (1/2 teaspoon)
- 2 grams kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a nonstick baking mat).
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut cold butter pieces into the dry ingredients, until you have a coarse, sandy mixture.
- Add cold milk to flour mixture; stir until everything is not quite combined. The dough should be crumbly, shaggy, and fairly loose.
- Lightly flour a cutting board; tip the dough onto the floured surface. Gently pat the dough together until it begins to hold its shape, then fold it over on itself several times and pat it into a 1-inch thick square.
- Cut dough into quarters with a sharp knife.
- Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving an inch or two of space between each one. Bake at 425°F for 10-12 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown.
Notes
Use a kitchen scale. Measuring ingredients like flour by volume (with a measuring cup) is notoriously unreliable: For best results, use a kitchen scale and measure your ingredients by weight using the gram measurements above.
Keep your dough as cold as possible. Small pieces of cold butter melt away in the oven, leaving flaky, pull-apart layers. Use very cold butter and milk when you mix the biscuit dough, and work quickly to keep the butter from softening too much as you shape the biscuits.
The most important ingredient is PRACTICE. It can take a few tries to get the hang of mixing and shaping biscuit dough. Don't worry if they aren't perfect the first time around!
No pastry cutter? Use clean hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
