Learn the Master Biscuit Recipe; Make It in Red, White, and Blue (2024)
The most festive weekend of the summer is deliciously close. A holiday feeling shimmers in the (very hot) air. Wherever you are, you can sense the excitement and preparation. I've spent most summers of my life up and down the East Coast, and can picture each spot. The ferry to Nantucket is packed with cars full of canvas totes and beach umbrellas. Coastal Maine beaches are covered in striped towels and coolers of watermelon slices. In New York, every restaurant sets out sidewalk tables and chairs. The warm, syrupy, late-afternoon sunlight drenches the streets, turning the city gold.
Whether you have a traditional Fourth of July, complete with beach picnics and burgers on the grill and blueberry pie, or just a relaxing long weekend, today's recipe—one of them, if not all three—is the one you should reach for. If you're going to a potluck or barbecue, it's perfect! If you're watching fireworks on a blanket somewhere, it's perfect! If you're sitting on the couch by yourself watching old episodes of Seinfeld, it's perfect!
Biscuits are simple. Full stop. My friends ooh and ahh over this master biscuit recipe (which I've riffed on in red, white, and blue today, but can easily be adapted to any flavor you like), and they think it must be complicated and tricky to execute. But it's not! Biscuit dough takes a mere 10 minutes to mix up, and another 10 or 15 to bake. To get lofty, tender biscuits with lots of flaky layers, I have a few helpful tips. Once you practice the basic template a few times, you'll feel confident enough to try new variations.
Add any cheese you like! Add fruit! Add spices! Biscuits are so buttery and indulgent while also being delicate and light. They're good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert. Everyone loves them. Become a good biscuit baker, and you'll never be at a loss for something homemade to bring to a party.
For Fourth of July, I've made a festive trio of my basic biscuit recipe in red, white, and blue. The basic formula is as follows: 2 cups AP flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup milk—and the add-in(s) of your choice.
I'm giving you two savory options. The red is a sun-dried tomato and cheddar biscuit with paprika and a touch of cayenne. With crisp cheesy edges and a little spice, it's a good partner for a dinner of burgers and corn on the cob.
Tomato Cheddar Biscuits View Recipe
Ingredients
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
teaspoon ground paprika
1/8
teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, if you like heat!)
6
tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2
cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1
cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2
cup cold milk
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
teaspoon ground paprika
1/8
teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, if you like heat!)
The white is a goat cheese biscuit. If you want even more of a sharper flavor, add some grated Parmesan. Don't be put off by the goat cheese; it's not a strong flavor, the soft cheese just adds a nice moisture and texture to the biscuits. But if you aren't into it, use fresh mozzarella instead, which I absolutely adore in a biscuit. It melts into gooey, pull-apart strands of cheese while still keeping the buttery layers intact.
Goat Cheese Biscuits View Recipe
Ingredients
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4
ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2
cup cold milk
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4
ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2
cup cold milk
Obviously, I did not neglect dessert. The blue biscuit is slightly sweet with a crunchy sugar topping, dusted with lemon zest. Each bite bursts with juicy summer blueberries. To adjust the master recipe for a sweeter version, just dial back the salt slightly and add some sugar to the dough.
Blueberry Lemon Biscuits View Recipe
Ingredients
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/4
teaspoon salt
2
tablespoons sugar + more for sprinkling
zest of 2 lemons
6
tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1
cup fresh blueberries
1/2
cup cold milk
2
cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/4
teaspoon salt
2
tablespoons sugar + more for sprinkling
zest of 2 lemons
6
tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1
cup fresh blueberries
1/2
cup cold milk
Fireworks and burgers and beers are nice, but to really celebrate the Fourth of July, there's nothing better than baking three kinds of biscuits and making everyone around you happier because of it.
The basic formula is as follows: 2 cups AP flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup milk—and the add-in(s) of your choice. I'm giving you two savory options. The red is a sun-dried tomato and cheddar biscuit with paprika and a touch of cayenne.
When the biscuit bakes, the butter will melt, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside. We default to our Land O Lakes® Salted Butter when baking biscuits.
The principal ingredients of biscuit dough are soft wheat flour, sugar, fat, and water. They are mixed with other minor ingredients (such as baking powder, skimmed milk, emulsifier, and sodium metabisulphite) to form dough containing a well- developed gluten network.
*Substitute buttermilk, light cream, or heavy cream for the whole milk, if you prefer; use enough of whatever liquid you choose to bring the dough together readily, without you having to work it too much. The higher-fat liquid you use, the more tender and richer-tasting your biscuits will be.
When you make this recipe with buttermilk, the flavorful tang of the buttermilk comes through in the buttermilk biscuits. If you use milk, the biscuits turn out especially tender. My favorite is to use half buttermilk and half milk for the best balance of flavor and texture.
The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.
Baking soda becomes activated when it's combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid. Upon activation, carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked goods to rise and become light and fluffy (1).
Milk is used in many baking recipes, including custards, cookies, cakes and breads. Milk encourages the browning reactions characteristic of baked goods like pastry crusts, cookies and biscuits. Milk contributes to the keeping quality of bread and gives it a soft crust.
Because biscuit recipes call for so few ingredients, it's important that every one is high quality—you'll really taste the difference. Catherine recommends splurging a bit on a grass-fed butter or European-style butter (now's the time to reach for Kerrygold!).
As it turns out, adding hard-boiled egg yolks to your biscuit dough is a way to ward off an overworked, tough dough that can be the downfall of a butter-based pastry. When the trick is employed, the pastry shatters and then dissolves in your mouth quickly, tasting like a knob of flaky butter.
Whenever you're working with buttery doughs like biscuits, pie crust, shortbread, and the like, you're constantly reminded to chill the dough frequently, as well as chill the dough before baking time. Baking biscuits directly from frozen also keeps the biscuits from spreading and flattening out.
Ruhlman's ratio couldn't be simpler — 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, 2 parts liquid, with a little salt and baking powder to add flavor and leavening, respectively.
Turns out homemade biscuits are as easy as 1-2-3 and to make a basic biscuit recipe, that's all you have to remember: a biscuit ratio is 1 part fat, 2 parts liquid, 3 parts flour, by weight.
⓶ Combine biscuit mix and milk, or buttermilk, in a bowl. Be sure there are no dry pockets of mix left. ⓷ Spoon approximately ¼ Cup serving of dough into non-stick pan about 2” apart. ⓸ Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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