Knead Patisserie Biscuits
Makes 12 biscuits
This recipe makes a very large batch of jumbo biscuits — each about the size of a hamburger bun — that probably could feed 24. You could cut the recipe in half, but doing the envelope fold (see below), which produces its ultra-flaky layers, will be more of a challenge. Plus, you can freeze the individually formed biscuits and bake them right out of the freezer when you have guests over the holidays. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for
rolling 4 cups cake flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon kosher salt 5 sticks (1 pound 4 ounces) frozen
unsalted butter 2 cups buttermilk ½ cup whole milk ¼ cup heavy cream 1 large egg, lightly beaten Honey, to garnish
Instructions: Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Grate the butter using the grater attachment on a food processor or by hand using a box grater. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients so the butter is evenly coated in flour. Pour the buttermilk, milk and cream into the flour mixture and combine using your hands just until it is shaggy but not a fully combined ball.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough (without kneading it) into a rectangle-shaped block about 1½ inches high with the long side closest to you and parallel to the edge of your work surface. Look at the dough and try to mentally picture the dough into three sections, as if you were going to fold a piece of paper into thirds to slide it into a business envelope (that’s why they call this an “envelope fold”).
Take one of the thirds on the side and fold it in and over the center part of the dough. Turn the other side of the dough up and over the center part so you have the three layers stacked on top of each other. Using a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour, gently roll the dough so it’s roughly back to the size it was before you started the folding and is again about 1½ inches high. Turn the dough 90 degrees so the long edge is closest to you again. Repeat the folding, rolling and turning of the dough block two more times. You have just completed three envelope folds.
Transfer the dough block to a baking sheet and cover it with plastic wrap. Chill at least 3 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough block from the fridge. Cut it into 12 large squares, each about 3 by 3 inches, trimming the edges with a sharp knife so they’re perfect squares. Mix the egg with a small splash of water. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the egg wash. (You can refrigerate the formed biscuits for 24 hours , or freeze them up to 3 months ahead.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, turning the pan halfway through, about 30-40 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, spoon a little honey on top. Let cool slightly before serving.
Per serving: 680 calories, 41 g fat (26 g saturated), 123 mg cholesterol, 1,014 mg sodium, 67 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 11 g protein.