A few tricks to fluffy biscuits: first, keep your butter cold! This is why the food processor is a great way to cut the butter into the flour. It's quick and doesn't alter the butter temperature too dramatically. Also, when cutting with the biscuit cutter, push down straight and evenly. Twisting the cutter will make for lopsided biscuits. Lastly, get those biscuits in the oven quickly! Don't store them in the refrigerator. If you need to delay baking, store them in the freezer.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, still cold
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon or rum
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix, then add cold butter and pulse until flour mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Transfer flour-butter mixture to a medium-sized bowl and mix in buttermilk until well combined, but be careful not to overmix the dough. Sprinkle flour on counter and knead the dough 5-6 times until smooth again. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Pat the dough out so it is 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter (about 3 inches in diameter), push down without twisting to cut 4 biscuits. Knead the remaining scraps together and cut the additional 2 biscuits. Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool thoroughly, about 20 minutes.
Toss the strawberries and sugar in a bowl and let macerate at least 30 minutes. Set aside.
Combine the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and bourbon in a large bowl and whip with an electric mixer until the cream forms soft peaks. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Slice biscuits and place strawberries on bottom piece. Top with a little whipped cream then cover with the top half of the biscuit.
Makes 6-7 biscuits
