Day 4: Blueberry Not-So-Sweet But Always Scrumptious Biscuits
The title is a mouthful. The bite is too. By that, I mean you’ll eat the whole thing in one bite. It’s the perfect Sunday morning treat that comes together in nearly one bowl, doesn’t need any equipment, and should be eaten immediately. What more could you ask for?
Little disclaimer…I made this while my boyfriend was in a work meeting in a large saucepan because he has a mixing bowl stock of zero. I hope you’ll understand, I was a bit too embarrassed to take pictures of the process along the way.
The Breakdown: This is a recipe out of my fairy godmother of baking’s (none other than Dorie Greenspan) cookbook. Don’t fret, I’ll err on the side of ignorance if the copyright police come after me. It’s buttery, flaky, zesty, and a touch jammy from the blueberries. Not to mention, I feel like a Southern housewife on my third husband when I pull them out of the oven.
I have an insistent distaste for cup measurements. I don’t know how to put it any other way. The recipe is provided in metric, as it should be.
What You’ll Need:
- Yogurt (120 ml)
- Milk (60 ml)
- AP flour (272 g)
- Baking powder (14 g)
- Baking soda (2 g)
- Sugar (25 g)
- Zest of lemon (1)
- Cold, unsalted butter (85 g, 3/4 stick)
- Blueberries (~200 g)
- Brown/Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Step 1: Weigh, Tare, Weigh, Tare, Weigh, Tare.
This time I won’t forget…preheat the oven to 425°F, and center a rack in the oven. Measure & mix the yogurt and milk together (this is where the almost one bowl comes into play. I’m not entirely convinced this must be done separately). Measure & mix all the dry ingredients except the sugar (but if we’re technically speaking- sugar is a wet ingredient) together in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the sugar, along with the lemon zest. Using your hands, mix the sugar with the zest until it’s moist and aromatic. Combine all happy parties.
Step 2: Le Beurre.
Cut your butter into similarly sized cubes (~1 in…I mean 2.5 cm). If you have bad circulation, work the butter into the dough immediately. If not (lucky you), freeze for 10 minutes or so. You want the butter to be throughly chilled. Here’s how to properly do it: first, toss the butter pieces so they’re coated in flour; second smash the butter between your fingers until you get varying chunks anywhere from the size of blueberries, and some as small as peas.
Step 3: Homogenize.
Now, it’s time to mix the wet with the dry. Slowly pour the milk-yogurt mixture into the bowl, and use a fork to roughly toss it together. Add the blueberries, and use your hands to bring the whole mixture together. If you have a tinge of added angst, feel free to smash the blueberries- it’ll create the jammy texture.
Step 4: Flour, Flop, and Flatten.
Lightly flour a work surface, and flop the dough out on top. Use your hands to flatten the dough into a blob of sorts (~0.6 cm thick..I give up 😳 1/4 in!). You could use a biscuit cutter of course, but a cup does the job fine. You’re supposed to be able to turn out 10 biscuits, but I went bigger and made 7.
Step 5: Sprinkle, Bake & Bite
Sprinkle with fairy dust (brown sugar), and bake these for around 15 minutes. As soon as you pull them out of the oven, brush with a mixture of lemon juice and butter, (very last minute, yet genius decision) and bite in.
Yogurt, lemon, blueberries. They’re perfect on their own. Throw them in a biscuit, and you’ll be over the moon. Need I say more? Bless your heart.
Au revoir,
👋 Lil
