Styles of Biscuits

Break into a flaky biscuit and you’re likely to find tender, pull-apart layers inside. The layers are created by the method in which the butter is treated when making the dough. Butter is cut into the flour mixture in large, flat pieces. When the dough is rolled out, the flat pieces of butter, melt and “puff” creating the light layers within the biscuit.

Fluffy biscuit dough tends to be wetter than flaky biscuit dough. In fact, the dough is sometimes too wet to roll out, and must be “dropped” by the large spoonful or small, dry measuring cup on to the baking sheet. Butter is often melted for the dough. Because the dough is hardly handled at all, these biscuits tend to bake up tall, and tender.

Instead of butter, cream biscuits use heavy cream as the sole source of fat. This biscuit is quick to put together—usually only flour, cream, leavener, sugar and salt—and depending on the amount of liquid used, can be rolled and stamped out, or dropped directly on the baking sheet. Cream biscuits are sometimes used as rustic shortcakes.