Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled in the freezer, plus more, melted, for brushing
- 1 cup chilled buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda until evenly distributed. Cut one stick of butter into thin slices and the other into small cubes. Add the chilled butter to the flour mixture, toss, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with no pieces of butter larger than a pea remaining.
- Transfer the flour mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cup of buttermilk and one egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir (or knead) until just combined into a shaggy dough.
- Turn out onto a floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle. Gently fold the rectangle in thirds, like you would a letter. Turn the dough a half turn and flatten back into a rectangle, gathering any crumbs that fall off in the process. Repeat twice more.
- Gently roll the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut biscuits from the dough, making sure not to twist the cutter-- just use a straight up and down motion. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each biscuit. If the biscuit dough has warmed at this point, place the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes. If not, continue on to the next step.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water. Lightly brush the egg wash over the tops of the biscuits, making sure to avoid letting it drip down the sides, as that can prevent the biscuits from rising as much. Transfer to the oven.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake biscuits until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter and serve.
Notes
You can prepare these biscuits ahead of time to eat later! Place uncooked biscuits (not yet brushed with egg wash) on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a sealable plastic bag. Freeze until ready to use-- they don't need to be thawed out. Simply brush the frozen biscuits with egg wash as you would fresh ones, and bake. You will likely have to bake for about 3-5 more minutes, but they'll come out just as wonderfully as they do without ever being frozen.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins