Recipe | OP Sweet Cream Biscuits

Recipe from the Olympia Provisions Cookbook. Photos by Eric Wolfinger.

These biscuits are perfect for soaking up gravy and are thus a necessary addition to any lumberjack breakfast. This recipe is the brainchild of our first pastry chef, Amelia Lane. To make these biscuits, you will need a 3-inch (7.5-cm) round cutter. Do not listen to antiquated advice about using a drinking glass instead of a cutter—this compresses the sides of the dough and prevents the biscuits from rising like a cylinder.

MAKES ABOUT 12 BISCUITS

4 cups (440 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra flour for rolling and cutting

31⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 cup (120 g) unsalted butter, diced and chilled

1⁄3 cup (90 ml) buttermilk

3 cups (720 ml) heavy cream

SALTY BUTTER

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with nonstick spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, kosher salt, sugar, baking powder, and chilled diced butter. Mix on the lowest speed until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of peas. Stop the mixer and feel the mixture with your fingers. If there are some pieces larger than others, press them flat between your thumb and forefinger. Turn on the mixer again to low speed and, while it is running, slowly add the buttermilk and cream. The dough will look wet and soft and midway through and you’ll think, “This can’t take the rest of the cream!” Just let it mix for a few turns of the paddle, and you will see that the cream is being absorbed by the flour. Once all the liquid is incorporated, let the dough sit in the bowl for a few minutes to allow the flour to absorb even more of the liquid.

2. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Gently press the dough with your hands into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is 3⁄4 inch (2 cm) thick. Dip a 3-inch (7.5-cm) round cutter into some flour, cut out a biscuit, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process, dipping the cutter into flour after each cut.

3. To make the salty butter, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the kosher salt. Using a pastry brush, brush salty butter over the tops of the biscuits. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and feel firm and springy to the touch. Store any leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature; they will keep for 3 to 4 days.