Name: Cream Biscuits with Crystallized Ginger
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger; 2 teaspoons granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon table salt; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 1 tablespoon heavy cream for brushing tops of biscuits; 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling on tops of biscuits

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

Bake the biscuits immediately after cutting them; letting them stand for any length of time can decrease the leavening power and thereby prevent the biscuits from rising properly in the oven.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, ginger, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough from bowl to countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in bowl. In 1 tablespoon increments, add up to 1/4 cup cream to dry bits in bowl, mixing with wooden spoon after each addition, until moistened. Add these moistened bits to rest of dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Shape the dough into a round, 3/4-inch thick. Following directions below, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or cut into wedges with knife. Place rounds or wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.