Biscuits!

Yet another "I was told to blog about this" post!  And so I am.

So biscuits! So easy! So delicious! So buttery!

My favorite biscuit recipe is Smitten Kitchen's cream biscuits. They are literally 4 ingredients, one bowl, DEAD EASY, tasty tasty biscuits.

It took me a while to make the connection as to why these biscuits work so very well, considering the usual way of making biscuits is to cut or rub cold butter into the flour/salt/baking powder, then add buttermilk or milk to make a dough.  But then, DUH.  Butter + buttermilk - shaking = cream.  

A few tips: don't overmix or over knead biscuits or they'll be hard and tough. You just need a light hand with the mixing and the patting out. Don't bother with a rolling pin, use your hands.  And I don't bother cutting them into rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass because I hate gathering the scraps and repatting them out.  It's far easier to just gently pat the dough into a rectangle and cut the rectangle into smaller square biscuits.  Quicker, too. 

Smitten Kitchen says they can be frozen pre-baked, and then baked off straight from the freezer with a few additional minutes in the oven. I have never tried that because biscuits now please.

I have successfully made a half recipe and then regretted it because I wanted more biscuits.  Don't make my mistakes people. 

And so here's my version of Smitten Kitchen's version of James Beard's Cream biscuits:

Makes 10-12, depending on how big you want them.

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Oven at 425°F.

Melt your butter in the microwave, and put to the side.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk or a fork.  Stir in 1 1/4 cups of cream, making sure all the dry bits are incorporated. I use either a fork or a silicone spatula.  If the dough is stiff, add a little bit of the remaining 1/4 cup, a little at a time. 

Don't overmix or over knead or the biscuits will be tough.  Dump your dough onto a flourer surface and gently pat into a rectangle or square about 3/4 inch high.  Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and cut into 10-12 squares.  Place squares onto a parchment or silpat covered baking sheet a few inches apart, and brush lightly with the melted butter (drizzling is fine too if you don't have a pastry brush). 

Bake until golden brown on top, about 12-15 minutes. Don't underbake--the golden crispy top is the best part.  Eat.

Edited to add:

I nearly forgot to tell y'all how to mess with them!

• Add shredded sharp cheddar, and voila, cheddar biscuits.  
• Add chopped rosemary or chives, and voila, herbed biscuits.
•  Add chopped rosemary or chives AND cheddar, and voila herb cheese biscuits. 
• Add a tablespoon of sugar, serve with sliced strawberries and whipped cream and voila, strawberry shortcake.