12 best biscuit recipes

Name: Muffins & Biscuits: 50 Recipes to Start Your Day with a Smile (Breakfast Cookbook, Muffin Cookbook, Baking Cookbook)
Brand: Chronicle Books
Price: 64 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (250 reviews)

Biscuit recipes are a staple in many culinary traditions around the world. These recipes typically involve creating a dough from basic ingredients like flour, fat (such as butter or shortening), leavening agents (like baking powder or baking soda), salt, and liquid (often milk or buttermilk). Here's what you should know about biscuit recipes:

Variety of Biscuits: Biscuits come in various forms and flavors, and their preparation can vary by region and culture. Some common types of biscuits include:
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits: These are a classic American biscuit known for their flaky and tender texture. They are often served as a side dish, with gravy, or used as a base for sandwiches like biscuits and fried chicken.
- English Scones: In the UK, what Americans refer to as "biscuits" are often called "scones." English scones are slightly sweet and are typically served with clotted cream and jam as part of afternoon tea.
- Southern American Sweet Potato Biscuits: These biscuits are made with sweet potato puree, adding a unique flavor and color to the traditional biscuit recipe.
- Cheddar and Herb Biscuits: Savory biscuits made with grated cheddar cheese and fresh herbs like chives or rosemary can be a delicious accompaniment to soups and stews.
- Anzac Biscuits: Originating in Australia and New Zealand, Anzac biscuits are oat-based cookies with a delightful chewy texture. They were historically associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during World War I.
Preparation: Biscuit recipes typically involve mixing the dry ingredients and then incorporating the fat (usually cold butter or shortening) into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Liquid (often cold milk or buttermilk) is added gradually to form a dough. The dough is then rolled out or shaped, cut into rounds or squares, and baked until golden brown.
Leavening Agents: Biscuit recipes use leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda to help the biscuits rise and become light and fluffy.
Tips for Success: Achieving the perfect biscuit often involves handling the dough gently and not overmixing. Overworking the dough can result in tough biscuits. Additionally, using cold fats and liquids helps create the desired flakiness.
Variations: Biscuit recipes can be customized by adding ingredients like cheese, herbs, spices, or even sweeteners like honey or sugar to create different flavors and textures.
Cultural Significance: Biscuits hold cultural significance in many regions. They are often associated with comfort food and family gatherings. In the American South, for example, biscuits are a beloved staple at breakfast and dinner tables.
Cookbooks: You can find biscuit recipes in a wide range of cookbooks, including those specializing in Southern cuisine, baking, and international recipes. These recipes are often passed down through generations and may vary from family to family.

Biscuit recipes are a versatile and comforting addition to any kitchen, offering a wide range of options for sweet and savory baked goods that can be enjoyed throughout the day.Whether you're making flaky buttermilk biscuits, sweet scones, or savory cheese biscuits, there's a biscuit recipe to suit your taste preferences and cultural interests.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best biscuit recipes on the market

Muffins & Biscuits: 50 Recipes to Start Your Day with a Smile (Breakfast Cookbook, Muffin Cookbook, Baking Cookbook)

Chronicle Books

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Start Your Day with a Smile

Home bakers, especially beginners, will appreciate how friendly muffins and biscuits are. They require no special equipment, training, or expertise and a minimum amount of elbow grease. In fact, the less you mix the batter and handle the dough, the better. They're rustic and homey, and popular with people of all ages. There is, in my humble opinion, nothing else quite like them in their universal appeal and accessibility in the world of traditional American cuisine. I hope you discover something that surprises or delights you in this book and that you try a technique or recipe you use for years to come.

Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits

These biscuits use the same technique as that for Cathead Biscuits (page 101), but they are enriched with egg, sharp Cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon. With a nice crisp top crust and a soft interior, they're hearty enough to serve as breakfast on their own, or you can make them the centerpiece of a farmhouse-style brunch spread.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees [200 degrees Celsius]. Coat a 9-by-5-in [23-by-12-cm] loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the 3/4 cup [105 g] all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to toss gently. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal but pea-size chunks of butter are still visible. (Alternatively, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, cut the butter into the flour mixture with about three 1-second pulses, and then return the mixture to the mixing bowl.) Reserve 2 Tbsp shredded Cheddar for the topping and set aside. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the remaining Cheddar and the chopped bacon into the flour mixture.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk together until blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir until the dough just comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough should be shaggy and a little sticky.

4. Spoon the remaining 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour into a shallow bowl. Coat your hands well with flour and pull off egg-size chunks of dough (you want 8 biscuits, so aim for dough balls that are one-eighth of the total). Dredge each chunk in the flour until thoroughly coated and place them in the prepared pan so that they are barely touching (2 biscuits across the shorter width of the bread pan and 4 biscuits along the longer side, for a 2-by-4 grid of 8 biscuits). Resist the urge to smooth and shape the dough; leave it rough and shaggy. Dust any remaining flour over the biscuits in the pan.

5. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter, pouring any remaining butter over them. Sprinkle the reserved Cheddar evenly over the biscuits.

6. Bake until puffed and golden brown, rotating the loaf pan halfway through, about 20 minutes.

7. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes and serve warm. If you are not serving the biscuits right away, wrap them tightly in plastic or place in a resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve, place the biscuits on a baking sheet and warm in a preheated 400-degree (200-degree C) oven for 5 minutes.