Baking your biscuits in cast iron—it’s the ONLY way to biscuit! Mouth-watering, delicious, handmade—if your grandmother or mother never made these you don’t know what you’re missing!
- Ingredients!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tsp. baking powder
- 1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 6 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
- 3⁄4 cup + 2 tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk
- Tools!
- Biscuit cutter
- 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet: optional but highly recommended. A cookie sheet or casserole dish will work too
- Large food processor: also not required; just makes it easier
Directions
The secret to the best biscuits, along with pie dough or other pastry doughs is this: cold butter. Sssh—it’s a secret, just between us.
Preheat oven to 425° F. In a large bowl or food processor, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Whisk or pulse three to four times until it’s thoroughly mixed.
Cut the cold butter into cubes or thin slices, then scatter it over the flour in the food processor. Pulse 5 to 7 times or until the butter turns into tiny bits. Transfer to a large bowl.
Option:
If you’re not using a food processor whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. If your butter is softening too much or your kitchen is warm, place the bowl with flour and butter into the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes.
Once your butter is added and broken up, or you’ve done it with the food processor, and added it to the large bowl ake a well in the middle, and then pour in the milk (or buttermilk). Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, and then bring the dough together with your hands. It might be a bit sticky, so add flour as needed.
Without working the dough too much, pat it down into a rectangle about 3⁄4 inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Rotate the rectangle 90 degrees, then repeat this process two more times. Work the dough as little as possible; if you work it too much the biscuits will be tough instead of tender and flaky.
With a biscuit cutter, cut out 2 1⁄2 to 3 inch biscuits. Don’t rotate the cutter or whatever you’re using; that will seal the edges and the biscuits won’t rise.
Put your biscuits in a cast iron skillet or casserole dish. You want the biscuits to touch each other.
Form another biscuit or two by rolling the leftover pieces together; again, work the dough as little as possible.
Bake at 425° F. for 10–15 minutes, or until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown on top.
Yields 6–8 biscuits.
