Black Sesame & Scallion Biscuits
May 6, 2020
The key to a good biscuit is getting all those flaky layers. And the secret to achieving the layers is stacking or folding the dough, as well as a few other factors. In this recipe, I’ll give you all the tips you need to make the perfect biscuit. I made these mini (Because mini foods are the cutest foods.) and with black sesame and scallions. The mix-ins came to me because I had a lot of leftover scallions and thought accompanied with black sesame would make a tasty and aesthetically pleasing pair. Though, mix in whatever you want. Cheese and scallion would be perfect, herbs, or any other savory adjacent ingredient. Or, discard the mix-ins idea altogether and enjoy the pure bliss that is a classic, plain biscuit.
Yield: 14 (1.5 inch rounds)
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (230g)
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup (75g) very cold, small cubed butter
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
1) In a mixing bowl whisk to combine all your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, sesame seeds and scallions.
2) Add butter pieces to dry ingredients and mix and toss to make sure they're all coated with the flour, etc. With your hands (work quickly to keep butter cold), fork or pastry cutter break up the butter pieces to about the size of peas and it's ok if they're flattened.
3) Add your buttermilk and mix with a spoon just until combined. It's ok if the dough is shaggy.
4) Now, this is where you develop those flaky layers: quickly form dough with the palm of your hands into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and fold one side into the middle and the other side over the side you just folded to fold what resembles an info pamphlet or envelope. The dough won’t be completely cohesive and in fact it will partly fall apart. Just bring pat the dough together to help in maintain it’s general shape. After folding press the dough down again into 1 inch thickness. Be tender yet firm with the dough.
5) With a flour dusted biscuit cutter (the one we used is 1.5in diameter) cut as many rounds as you can and place directly on a sheet tray. Side note: When using the biscuit cutters push straight down and do not twist it as you are cutting. That will seal the dough on the edges preventing them from rising to their full potential. No need to oil or dust the baking sheet with flour. Reform the cutout dough into a solid piece - quickly and gently- and cut out more rounds. Continue until you run out of dough.
6) Place sheet tray with cut out biscuits into the freezer for 10 minutes to for the butter to get colder. This also adds to the flakiness of your biscuit. When the cold butter gets hit with the heat from the oven its water content will release steam and that steam then pushes up the dough with it’s vapor pockets.
4) Set your oven to 425 degrees and cook the biscuits for 12 minutes or until their tops are golden.
5) If you want an extra touch of richness, brush the tops with melted butter as soon as they get out the oven.
