2 sticks butter or non dairy margarine, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and frozen
2 1/4 c (9oz or 255 g) Better Batter Gluten Free Flour, plus extra flour for rolling/shaping.
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 c plain yogurt, sour cream, or dairy free sub
1 large egg
1egg + 2 tbsp water, whisked together for egg wash.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a rolling surface and rolling pin with a little bit of Better Batter flour and set aside.
Prepare butter or non dairy margarine by cubing into 1/2 inch cubes and freezing, while you whisk together the other ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, combine Better Batter flour, baking powder, and salt, until well combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream or dairy free substitute and 1 large egg, until evenly combined. Set aside.
Remove butter or non dairy margarine from the freezer and working quickly, cut it into the flour mixture in the bowl, until you have lumps the size of marbles (about 1/4 inch in size). I find the most effective way to do this is to use a kitchenaid mixer and pulse it on low speed several times, or until the butter particles begin to break up and smash a little.
Add the yogurt/egg mixture all at once, stirring quickly to combine – the mixture will look dry and shaggy, and be pretty sticky. Work together just until all the ingredients clump together.
Lightly flour a nonstick rolling surface, using about 1/4 c of flour. Turn the sticky biscuit mass out onto the rolling surface and dust with a bit of additional flour, about 1-2 tbsp or so. Working quickly, using your hands, pat the dough into a rough rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Using your hands or a spatula, fold the dough into thirds, as if you were folding a letter. Take your rolling pin and roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick again.
Fold the dough again as if folding a letter and roll out again to 1/2 inch thick.
Fold the dough one last time as if folding a letter. You will now need to decide how thick you want your biscuits to be (see below):
OLD FASHIONED GRANDS
Roll the dough out one last time to 3/4 inch thick. Using a 4 inch biscuit cutter, cut biscuits from the rolled out dough. For best results you will need to use a very sharp cutter – the sharper the blade the higher the rise of the final biscuits!. DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER, but rather press straight down and lift straight up for best results. Push the dough out of the cutter and place the finished biscuit on the baking sheet. Repeat, cutting as closely as possible to prevent excessive scraps. Gather remaining scraps together and press together to make one or two final biscuits – these will not rise in the same way or have the same layers as the original biscuits. Brush the top of the biscuits with the egg wash, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, puffed, and flaky. Remove from the oven and serve either warm or at room temperature.
GRANDS JUNIORS
Roll the dough out one last time to 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut biscuits from the rolled out dough. For best results you will need to use a very sharp cutter – the sharper the blade the higher the rise of the final biscuits!. DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER, but rather press straight down and lift straight up for best results. Push the dough out of the cutter and place the finished biscuit on the baking sheet. Repeat, cutting as closely as possible to prevent excessive scraps. Gather remaining scraps together and press together to make one or two final biscuits – these will not rise in the same way or have the same layers as the original biscuits. Brush the top of the biscuits with the egg wash, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, puffed, and flaky. Remove from the oven and serve either warm or at room temperature.
