Sandra Alton Brown Biscuits are a flaky and tender baked good popular across the American South. Ideally, the dough should be folded gently several times before cutting to create distinct, airy layers.
Alton Brown Biscuits Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
- 1 cup buttermilk, chilled
How To Make Alton Brown Biscuits
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well aerated and combined.
- Rub in the fats: Add the chilled cubed butter and shortening to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, quickly rub the fats into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Work as fast as possible so the fats do not melt; cold fat is essential for steam pockets (flakes).
- Add the liquid: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir gently with a spoon or fork just until the dough comes together. It will look shaggy and be very sticky.
- Fold the dough: Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top with a little flour. Gently fold the dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. This process, similar to laminating pastry, creates the layers. Press the dough gently into a round about 1-inch thick.
- Cut the biscuits: Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits. Press the cutter straight down through the dough—do not twist, as twisting seals the edges and prevents rising.
- Arrange and bake: Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so that their edges are just touching. This forces them to rise upwards rather than spreading outwards. Reform the scrap dough gently (work it as little as possible) to cut the remaining biscuits.
- Bake until golden: Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the biscuits are tall and the tops are a light golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t twist the cutter: This is the golden rule of biscuit making. If you twist the cutter to release the dough, you seal the layers together, resulting in a flat puck. Push down, pull up.
- Keep it cold: The butter, shortening, and buttermilk must be cold. If the fat melts before it hits the oven, you lose the flaky texture. If your kitchen is hot, chill the flour beforehand.
- Touching on the pan: Arranging the biscuits so they touch supports the sides during baking, encouraging a higher rise and softer sides.
- Butter vs. Shortening: Alton uses both for a reason. Butter provides the rich flavor, while shortening (which has a higher melting point and 100% fat content) provides superior tenderness and flake.
What To Serve With Alton Brown Biscuits
These biscuits are a versatile side for any meal.
- Sausage Gravy: The classic Biscuits and Gravy breakfast.
- Honey and Butter: Simple and delicious.
- Fried Chicken: A Southern staple sandwich.
- Strawberry Jam: Sweetness to balance the savory dough.
How To Store Alton Brown Biscuits
- Room Temperature: Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: Biscuits freeze very well. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Wrap in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.
Alton Brown Biscuits Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 210kcal
- Protein: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fat: 9g
- Saturates: 4g
- Sugar: 2g
- Salt: 0.8g
Nutrition information is estimated per biscuit (based on approx. 8-10 biscuits).
FAQs
Can I use all butter?
Yes, you can use 4 tablespoons of butter if you prefer to avoid shortening. The biscuits will be very flavorful but might be slightly less tender/flaky.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
You can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of regular milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles.
Why are my biscuits tough?
Tough biscuits are usually the result of overworking the dough. When folding and reforming scraps, be as gentle as possible. The less you handle it, the more tender it will be.
Alton Brown Biscuits Recipe
Description
A classic Southern biscuit recipe using a blend of butter and shortening for the perfect balance of flavor and flake, folded to create high-rising layers.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Rub butter and shortening into flour until crumbly.
- Pour in buttermilk and stir until dough forms.
- Turn onto floured surface and fold 5–6 times.
- Press to 1-inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter (don’t twist).
- Place on baking sheet with edges touching.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden.
Notes
- Placing the biscuits on the baking sheet so that they just touch each other provides support as they rise, forcing them upward for a taller biscuit rather than spreading outward.
- Using fingertips to rub the fat into the flour is preferred over a food processor as it prevents over-mixing and keeps the fat pieces larger, which creates better flakes.
- Re-rolling the scraps is perfectly fine to minimize waste, but be aware that the second batch of biscuits will always be slightly tougher and denser than the first cut.
Alton Brown Biscuits Recipe
