Biscuits with Butter and Milk

Introduction

These biscuits use 1 tablespoon of cold butter and a 15-minute bake at 200 C to get a light crumb and browned tops. You can make them for breakfast, serve them with soup, or bake a small batch when you need a plain, quick bread from basic pantry ingredients.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140 g / 4.9 oz) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• ½ cup (125 ml / 4.2 oz) milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder twice in a bowl.
3. Cut butter in with a knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Add milk to the mixture and mix just until you get a soft dough-don't overmix.
5. Place dough on a floured board. Knead the dough gently until smooth. Roll out to ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick.
6. Cut out biscuits with a small cutter and place biscuits onto a greased pan.
7. If you have scraps of dough, knead into a ball, re-roll, and cut out more biscuits.
8. Bake for 15 minutes until nicely browned. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and leave it to cool.

Variations

• Replace ¼ cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a slightly nuttier biscuit with a denser crumb.
• Use buttermilk instead of milk if you want a tangier flavor and a slightly softer interior.
• Increase the cold butter from 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons for a richer biscuit with more tenderness.
• Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the flour mixture if you want a lightly sweeter biscuit with deeper browning.
• Cut smaller biscuits in the shaping step for more crust and a shorter bake time, or cut larger ones for a softer center.

Tips for Success

• Keep the butter cold so it cuts into the flour cleanly and leaves small pockets that help the biscuits bake up lighter.
• Stop mixing as soon as the milk brings the dough together; overmixing makes the biscuits tougher.
• Flour the board lightly before rolling so the dough does not stick, but do not work in too much extra flour or the biscuits will dry out.
• Roll the dough to the full ½ inch thickness if you want a better rise and a softer middle.
• Bake until the tops are nicely browned, not pale; that color is your cue that the centers are set.

Storage and Reheating

Store the cooled biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or sealed container for up to 2 months.

Reheat in a 175 C oven for 5 to 8 minutes from the fridge, or 10 to 12 minutes from frozen, until warmed through. You can also microwave one biscuit for 10 to 15 seconds, but the texture will be softer and less crisp. These are at their best on the day you bake them.

FAQ

Why do you sift the flour, salt and baking powder twice?

Sifting twice distributes the baking powder more evenly and adds air to the flour. That helps the biscuits bake up lighter.

Why did my biscuits turn out dense?

The usual causes are overmixing after adding the milk, kneading too much, or using baking powder that has lost strength. Rolling the dough thinner than ½ inch can also reduce the rise.

Can you use salted butter instead of cold butter?

Yes. The biscuits will be slightly saltier, so you can reduce the added salt if you want tighter control over the seasoning.

Can you make the dough ahead?

Yes. Cut the biscuits, place them on the pan, cover, and refrigerate for several hours before baking. Bake straight from the fridge and add a minute or two if needed.