The Key Step For Ensuring The Best Buttery Biscuits
Not to be mistaken with European biscuits, which are more akin to cookies, American biscuits are a fluffy bread that is either slathered with gravy or filled with jam. The name "biscuit" originates from the French "bis-qui" which refers to something "twice cooked," which early Romans did to their bread to ensure a fine crisp (via English Heritage). Today, American biscuits are elevated, buttery, and made using a variety of methods, but ultimately, they are a round bread that is soft on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside.
According to Country Living, there are several different kinds of American biscuits, including rolled, drop, angel, shortcake, and buttermilk biscuits, all heavily reliant on butter. Butter used in baking seems like a no-brainer. We use it to put the puff in puff pastry, to add flavor and density to our pound cakes, and to grease our cake pans. But putting butter in and under our bakes isn't all we should be using it for.
Don't forget to butter your biscuit
We believe in the power of butter. It is simply one of the most delicious fats out there; it is good for crisping up meat, slathering on sweet corn, and plopping on pancakes. Butter and biscuit are two peas in a pod. The American biscuit relies on butter; whether you layer it into your dough cold, use buttermilk, or fold it into the batter for an extra dense crumb, it is absolutely necessary.
But after you mix your butter into the biscuit dough, don't return it to the refrigerator or cupboard. Instead, wait until your biscuits are fresh out of the oven and then brush more butter on top; this allows the rolls to absorb more butter through the hot crust and will enrich the flavor of the bake (via Taste of Home). The LA Times also suggests that if you are baking any kind of sweet bread that, in addition to butter, you could brush honey or syrup on top of a warm bake to make the crust taste soft and sweet.