Biscuits
Buttermilk biscuits are the perfect addition to any brunch. I mean, what’s not to love…they’re wholesome, buttery, flakey, and melt-in-your-mouth.
My husband introduced me to the glorious world of fresh, homemade biscuits during our first Christmas as husband and wife. Among the many special traditions he grew up with, cooking together as a family at Christmas was one nearest to his heart, with this recipe being a centerpiece of their holiday brunch for several years and counting.
Of the recipes on my blog, this one is a tad more challenging, but it is TOTALLY do-able (I believe in you)! This recipe comes from Thomas Keller (aka the man also behind Bouchon, The French Laundry and many other culinary wonders), so it’s gourmet nature naturally adds a few extra adventures to the recipe. But let’s look at the positive here. You are guaranteed to feel extra fancy telling everyone that these are Thomas Keller’s famous buttermilk biscuits. That’s sure to win you some impressed “oohs” and “ahhs”.
Ingredients
Recipe yields ~12 biscuits.
2 cups cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (for brushing on top of biscuit)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the chilled butter and pulse several times, until the pieces of butter are no bigger than small peas (do not over-process).
Move the flour mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk.
Gently work the flour into the buttermilk. The dough should begin to come together, but not form a solid mass yet. Over mixing at this stage will make the biscuits tough.
Dust a work surface or countertop with flour, and place the dough on top.
Knead / massage the dough until it is 1 and 1/2 inches thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, cut out the biscuits (if the cutter sticks to the dough, dip the cutter in flour before cutting). If you do not have a round cutter, a large glass water cup can be used in it’s place (see recipe notes below). The extra dough can gently be pushed together and cut one more time - any more will overwork the dough.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat silicon baking sheet. Brush the top of the biscuits lightly with buttermilk. I use a basting brush for this step.
Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. You’ll know they’re done when they have a rich golden brown top. Every oven is different, so keep a close eye on your biscuits for the last few minutes.
As soon as you remove the biscuits from the oven, brush the top with melted butter. The biscuits are best served warm.
Recipe Notes
Biscuits are best enjoyed same day, will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
I tend to use a large glass water cup to as my cookie cutter because no matter where we are, we always have them on-hand. Make sure to dust the edge of the glass with flour so that it doesn’t stick to the dough.
Brushing the biscuits with buttermilk helps bring out the beautiful golden brown color. I tend to be fairly generous with the buttermilk to make sure the tops are fully covered. It’s perfectly okay if a little runs down the side of the biscuit.
When brushing the tops of the warm biscuits with butter, they’ll look a bit wet at first, but not to worry. Let them sit for about a minute and they’ll look and taste incredible!
