Every year, Jason’s cousins get together for a Christmas “party”. This year it was a Christmas brunch. Jason signed us up to bring biscuits. Admittedly, it would not have been my first choice as the brunch was, well, BRUNCH, which means early (aka 10 am…but early with a 7 month old lol) and it was 45 minutes away. Biscuits are always best fresh out of the oven, but I love a good challenge ;). I usually don’t even use a recipe for biscuits, but my usual biscuits aren’t really that good unless you eat them straight out of the oven. So I remembered this recipe that I had bookmarked months ago and decided to give it a go. It’s a very unusual recipe – self rising flour + more leavening + egg + refrigeration time before baking. I didn’t over analyze it and I didn’t change a thing – followed the recipe exactly…the first time. The second time, I tweaked it only slightly as I thought they were too salty (swapped the salted butter for unsalted), and they were pretty great. Bonus points for being almost as good a few hours later and room temperature. If you are looking for a biscuit recipe to impress, this is it! Enjoy!
JoJo’s Biscuits
4 cups self-rising flour, plus more for the work surface
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
2 large eggs, beaten, plus 1 large egg for brushing
1-1/2 cups buttermilk, or as needed, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. Add the butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are even and about the size of peas.
3. Whisk together 1-1/2 cups buttermilk and beaten eggs. Add to flour mixture and stir until the dough comes together into a sticky mass. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until it reaches the correct consistency.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
5. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Use your floured hands to press it into a round roughly 14 inches across and about 1/2 inch thick. Use a floured 2 3/4- inch round cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. Collect and pat out the scraps to cut more biscuits.
6. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they all are touching. In a small dish, beat together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Brush the mixture on the top of the biscuits.
7. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a rack. Biscuits are best the day they are made (and ideally fresh out of the oven!). Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
NOTE: For longer storage, arrange the biscuits about 1/2 inch apart on two parchment-paper-lined baking sheets and freeze until solid. Transfer them to a zip-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. There is no need to thaw them before baking.
*adapted from Food52
