Biscuit Revolution

I have blogged before that I had reached contentment with my biscuit making, but I was wrong - I have found a method that is easier and produces a better biscuit. Basically I have combined the Joy of Cooking biscuit recipe with the Alton Brown method of making biscuits.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp very cold butter
3/4 cup milk (I use whole because that's what Annalise drinks)

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and sift or stir thoroughly with a whisk. Cut in butter (Joy of Cooking says 4-6 tbsp, but this is what I use every time - I have tried many options for cutting in the butter, but here is what I like now - I freeze the butter and then grate it with my cheese grater into the flour mixture. After that just stir it up and rub it in a little with you finger tips.) Pour milk over everything and stir just until all the milk is mixed in.

Set it aside and prepare pan and get a big sheet of parchment paper (not waxed paper). I wait until this step to prepare my pan because the flour needs a few minutes to absorb the milk - very important!!! Then I dump everything out onto the parchment paper and fold the paper over the lump and press into a rectangle - usually the dough is so sticky that there is no way to avoid adding more flour, but the parchment does not stick so bad as my fingers :) then unfold the parchment and using the parchment fold the two sides in - like folding a letter or a wallet. Press it down into about the same size as it was and then repeat - make a wallet, then the rectangle - then STOP! No more. Dunk your biscuit cutter in flour and then cut out the rounds (they will be STICKYYYY) and bake for 12-15 minutes.