Cream Biscuits

What makes every Sunday dinner a little better?  Why biscuits of course!

Sadly my parents were never big on bread at the dinner table, in any form.  It was not until adulthood that I realized I was missing out on those delicious dinner rolls, soaking up the last of the gravy left behind from the turkey, or cornbread, the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken, fried fish….I guess pretty much anything fried.  But where I feel most deprived was that I did not experience the greatness of biscuits until I was in my 30s. (I mean 20s…I’m not that old).

For those of you who have been equally deprived- make a batch of these with your next roast chicken, Thanksgiving spread, or pretty much any dinner that is cooked in the oven.  You will not be disappointed.

Note: these biscuits need to be cooked almost as soon as they are made or the leavening will not take effect and you will be left with sad short biscuits.  Biscuits are also best if eaten right away.  Time is not kind to them (or to most of us really- ok enough old comments today).  If you want to make them ahead freeze them as soon as they are cut on the cookie sheet, transfer them to a ziplock bag once frozen and cook from frozen when you are ready to eat.

Cream Biscuits
America’s Test Kitchen

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425̊ F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Add 1 1/4 cups of the cream to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in the bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the bow, mixing with a wooden spoon after each addition until all the looser flour is just moistened; add those moistened bits to the dough. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Pat the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick circle or press it into an 8 inch cake pan and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the biscuit rounds using a 2 ½ biscuit cutter or into eight wedges using a knife. Pace the rounds or wedges onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.