Herb-Biscuit Topping
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 1, 2009
Yield
Makes enough for 1 pot-pie recipe
Ingredients
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) plain cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or dill leaves¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed
Before You Begin
Mixing the butter and dry ingredients quickly so the butter remains col and firm is crucial to producing light, tender biscuits. Make sure that your butter is well chilled before mixing it into the dry ingredients. If your kitchen is exceptionally warm, you may want to chill the flour along with the butter.
Instructions
- Pulse the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter pieces, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 10 1-second pulses.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and mix in the herbs. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough gathers into moist clumps. Following the illustrations below, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and form into a rough ball. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 to 12 rounds of dough. Space the biscuits evenly over the filling in the baking dish. If making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish.
Yield
Makes enough for 1 pot-pie recipeIngredients
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) plain cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or dill leaves
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) plain cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or dill leaves
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) plain cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or dill leaves
¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons if needed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Before You Begin
Mixing the butter and dry ingredients quickly so the butter remains col and firm is crucial to producing light, tender biscuits. Make sure that your butter is well chilled before mixing it into the dry ingredients. If your kitchen is exceptionally warm, you may want to chill the flour along with the butter.
Instructions
- Pulse the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter pieces, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps, about 10 1-second pulses.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and mix in the herbs. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough gathers into moist clumps. Following the illustrations below, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and form into a rough ball. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 to 12 rounds of dough. Space the biscuits evenly over the filling in the baking dish. If making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish.
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