Best Buttermilk and Sea Salt Biscuits
Flaky, tender buttermilk biscuits, topped with crunchy sea salt. Great for a breakfast treat or an accompaniment to soups and stews or whenever a quick bread is needed.
Yield: 9
Materials
- 8 ounces (226 grams) unsalted butter, cold (2 sticks)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (for melting)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (95 grams) cake flour
- 2 1/2 cups (285 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (7 grams) baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt, kosher
- 2 cups (500 ml) buttermilk, cold
- 2 tsp flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Cut butter into a large dice. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the flours, baking powder, sugar and kosher salt. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse until butter is the size of small peas. Pour flour mixture into a large bowl.
- Add the buttermilk. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. (If the air is very humid, hold back about 1/4 cup buttermilk. Add more or less as needed.)
- Flour a work surface and remove dough from bowl. Using a bench scraper or your hands, work and knead dough briefly to come together. Dust dough with flour if sticky. Once the dough is holding together well, pat down and fold in half. Pat down again and fold. Repeat one more time for a total of three folds.
- Pat dough into a roughly 8 1/2" x 9" rectangle, aiming for square corners. Cut dough into nine squares with a bench scraper or knife. Place biscuits on the baking sheet, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. If time allows, place sheet pan in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes to chill.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.
Notes
-this recipe makes very large biscuits. Feel free to cut your squares smaller or use biscuit cutters. Reduce cooking time by a few minutes, as needed.
-dough can be made without a food processor. Cut butter in with a pastry cutter or rub in with fingertips.
-biscuit dough takes more or less liquid depending on the humidity in the air.
-quick breads do best with the least amount of handling as possible, so as to not develop the gluten and make it tough. Work swiftly when stirring and shaping the dough.
-leftover biscuits keep well for 2 days, well wrapped. Heat in a 400º oven for 5 minutes.