A Perfect Golden Brown Crusty Biscuits
The great thing about this biscuit is its simplicity in making and they bake beautifully golden brown and flakey. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use butter or non-stick spray. Mixing the dough by hand will prevent over mixing the dough. Put white all-purpose flour in a bowl. Add baking powder, salt, and granulated white sugar to the flour. Whisk all together using the wire whisk to make sure that the baking powder is fully incorporated into the flour.
To the mixture add in cold unsalted butter that has been cut into small pieces. Using a pastry blender you can use two knives or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour. Cut the butter into the flour until you get coarse crumbs. Since the butter is cold it cuts in very easily. The biscuit dough is almost as scorn dough. Scrape all the of the butter pieces out of the pastry blender.
In a measuring jar combine milk and a beaten egg. Mix them together and then add them to the flour mixture and mix it all together. Use a rubber spatula or your hand to mix the ingredients. Reach to the bottom to get all the flour. Finish the mixing by using your hand. Drag it around to get all the flour up. If your dough gets a little wet just add in some flour to it. Take the dough out of the bowl onto a floured working surface. Knead the dough a few times to bring everything together.
Pat the dough using a rolling pin or your hands until it in a half-inch thick. Using a round cutter that is 2 ½ inches cut out your biscuits and put them on your prepared baking sheet. The number of biscuits will depend on the size of your cookie cutter. If you had a lot of flour at the bottom just take a pastry brush and just brush it off. In a small dish combine an egg lightly beaten and milk.
Brush the top of the biscuits with the egg wash. This will help with the browning. 400 degrees is a hot oven hence it will give a nice crisp outside crust of the biscuits. Bake them between 10 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. One they are done remove them from the oven and let them cool. They are crispy on the outside, nice and flaky on the inside. You can cover them and store them for two days or eat them after they are done.
Ingredients;
- 2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar (optional)
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Topping:
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions;
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (use pastry blender, two knives, or fingertips). Add the milk and slightly beaten egg and stir until just combined. (The texture should be sticky, moist and lumpy.)
- Place mixture on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough gently until it comes together and is a smooth dough.
- Roll out dough to about a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. Cut out biscuits with a lightly floured round cookie cutter.
- Place on a prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the beaten egg and milk mixture and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuit comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.