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Quick and Easy Cream Biscuits

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Makes 8 2½-Inch Biscuits

Quick and Easy Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter2 teaspoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon table salt 1 ½ cups heavy cream

Before You Begin

These biscuits come together in a flash and require no special equipment.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  3. Shape the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Following illustrations below, cut biscuits into rounds or wedges. Place rounds or wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.) Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

Quick and Easy Cream Biscuits

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Time

35 minutes

Yield

Makes 8 2½-Inch Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

When we wanted a great biscuit recipe that could be made quickly and easily and that wouldn’t require cutting fat into flour or rolling out dough, we used heavy cream in place of butter, which resulted in a lighter, more tender biscuit. For our easy biscuit recipe, we simply kneaded the dough for 30 seconds until it was smooth and uniform, shaped the biscuits, and then popped them into the oven immediately to keep them from spreading.

Before You Begin

These biscuits come together in a flash and require no special equipment.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  3. Shape the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Following illustrations below, cut biscuits into rounds or wedges. Place rounds or wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.) Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

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