Q: My sons and I had Sunday Supper at JCT Kitchen and thought the biscuits were the best we've ever tasted. Almost like a scone but with tender layers and not at all greasy. I would love to try them at home sometime. Thanks! — Melissa Walker, Decatur
A: The biscuits from JCT Kitchen rise up tall and flaky because of the method they use to prepare the dough. Frozen butter, grated into the seasoned flour mixture, makes for the light texture and a light hand in the mixing accounts for the rest. Stir in just enough buttermilk so the dough holds together but isn't wet.
The first biscuits you cut from your dough will rise up to more than double their height. Pulling together the scraps to make for a second cutting will still yield delicious biscuits, but they won’t be quite as pretty or rise quite as high.
We tested this recipe with nonfat buttermilk. Pastry chef Chrysta Poulos recommends Cruze Farms buttermilk out of Tennessee. Check your grocer or local farmers market for access to locally produced fresh buttermilk.
JCT Kitchen’s Biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring work surface
4 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, frozen
1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk, plus more for brushing on top of biscuits
Chopped chives, for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Use a box grater to grate frozen butter into flour mixture. Working quickly, toss the butter with the flour mixture so all pieces of butter are evenly distributed. Add buttermilk and using your hands, toss the mixture until it just holds together. Add more buttermilk if needed. On a lightly floured work surface, pat dough out 1-inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles and put circles on baking sheet. Have biscuits touching each other if you want soft sided biscuits, or set apart if you want crisper edges. Brush tops with buttermilk and bake biscuits until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot, sprinkling with chopped chives, if desired. Makes: 18 biscuits
Per biscuit: 209 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 4 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 28 milligrams cholesterol, 702 milligrams sodium.
About the Author
