HOMEMADE BISCUITS (Adapted from Improvised Life)

The original recipe has you brush your baking sheet with melted butter (and increases the amount by two tablespoons) but for whatever reason, the butter not covered by biscuits just got smoky in my oven so I’m voting for you to just line your sheets with parchment. If you find dipping the biscuits in butter difficult (hard to grasp if the dough is soft), just brush on. Made about 10 biscuits.

3 TBSP melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small pot or microwave dish, and set aside. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little. (I ended up using two additional tablespoons, or half the unused cream.)

Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Dip the top of each round in melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze for future use. [Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.

OR

I’ll make these Nathalie Dupree’s biscuits:
(from sandynawrot.blogspot)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup commercial or homemade self-rising flour
Butter, softened or melted, for finishing

Pulse together the cream cheese, 2/3 cup butter, and 1 cup of flour two or three times in food processor fitted with the knife or dough blade until it comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto waxed paper and divide into two rounds. Flatten. Wrap in waxed paper, plastic wrap, or resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly sprinkle a board or other clean surface using some of the 1/3 cup reserved flour. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour. With floured hands and a floured rolling pin, roll out one portion of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thick. Fold the dough over to make it 1/2 inch thick. For each biscuit, dip a 1 to 1 1/4 inch biscuit cutter into reserved flour and cut out the biscuits, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. The scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits, although these scraps make tougher biscuits. Roll out the second portion when ready to bake.

Using a metal spatula if necessary, move the biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet, placing the biscuits 1 inch apart. Refrigerate the biscuits for 10 to 20 minutes until cold. Bake the biscuits on the top rack of the oven for a total of 10 to 12 minutes until light golden brown. After 6 minutes, rotate the pan in the oven so that the front of the pan is now turned to the back, and check to see if the bottoms are browning too quickly. If so, slide another packing pan underneath to add insulation and retard the browning. Continue baking another 4 to 6 minutes until the biscuits are light golden brown. When the biscuits are done, lightly brush the tops with butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down on a plate to cool slightly. Serve hot, right side up.

These biscuits may be frozen, unbaked or baked, and reheated.

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