Strawberry Shortcake

(The sweet biscuit of your dreams)

 
 
 
 

Strawberry shortcake is a dessert close to both to our hearts — for some reason it became one of our go-to early summer dinner party desserts in college and our infatuation with it has stuck. This biscuit recipe in particular achieves everything you’d want from a biscuit: it’s crunchy and golden on top, crunchy on the bottom, and filled with gorgeous buttery, flaky layers on the inside. Strawberry season in the Pacific Northwest is short-lived, but delicious, and this recipe is one of the best ways to feature them in all of their glory before they’re gone, or before I buy out all the stands at the market. - Ju

 

Ingredients

For the biscuits

  • 4 sticks of frozen, unsalted butter

  • 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup white sugar

  • 4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled, plus 1/4 cup for brushing biscuits prior to baking

  • turbinado sugar ( for topping)

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets with either a silpat mat or parchment paper.

  2. Place 1 cup of buttermilk in the freezer to chill. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar* baking powder and salt - whisk to combine.

  3. Remove the butter from freezer. Lightly score each stick at the halfway point and remove half of the wrapper. Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter onto a plate or cutting board stopping at the halfway point on each stick for a total of 16 tablespoons of grated butter.

  4. Remove buttermilk from freezer. Add grated butter to the bowl with dry ingredients and toss lightly with hands to evenly coat all butter in flour. Once coated, create a well in the center of the bowl and slowly pour in chilled buttermilk and heavy cream. Mix with a rubber spatula just until the mixture holds together in a wet and shaggy dough.

  5. Turn dough and any remaining bits in the bowl onto a floured surface. Gently knead dough a few times to form into ball, adding just a sprinkle of flour to prevent dough from sticking too much. Dough will still feel wet — a bench scraper can be handy during this part.

  6. Press ball of dough into a rectangle roughly 9 x 13 inches and about 3/4 of an inch thick. Fold this rectangle in half and then half again, using a bench scraper or spatula to help prevent sticking. Repeat this process two more times — by the second time, the dough should be smooth. If at any time during this process the dough starts to get too sticky to work with, place it in the freezer

  7. Lightly flour your rolling surface and roll out the dough again — this time to a height of 1 1/4 inches. Using a 2 in or 2 1/2 in biscuit cutter (a small glass or bowl will do in a pinch!) cut straight down into the dough, wiping off and flouring the cutter each time you cut a new biscuit. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheets. Collect remaining dough and re-roll until you have cut out as many biscuits as you can, about 10 to 12 biscuits.

  8. Pour remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream into a small bowl and using a pastry brush or a paper towel, brush top of biscuits with cream. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and place biscuits in oven for about 16-20 minutes. You can check biscuits at the 8 minute mark and change which rack each tray is on if they seem to be browning faster on one rack or the other. Biscuits are done when the tops are a deep golden brown.

  9. Once biscuits are done backing, remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit of your choosing (we like fresh strawberries, blueberries, or any ripe stone fruit).

Makes 10-12 biscuits.

*Note: These biscuits can be adjusted to make savory biscuits as well — simply omit the sugar in the dry ingredients and sub flake salt for the turbinado sugar on top.