These warm biscuits with jammy centers are irresistible straight out of the oven. If you prepare the ingredients the night before, they can be put together quickly in the morning. Adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson, Ten Speed Press, 2009.
- Prep Time :
20 min - Cook Time :
35 min - Ready Time :
55 min
Servings
Ingredients
- 4
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 -1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter cut in 1/2-inch cubes
- 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup good quality preserves or jam
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Measure dry ingredients into a bowl with high sides or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter cubes and use your hands or the paddle attachment to blend on low speed until texture of flour changes from silky to mealy and dime- and quarter-size pieces of butter remain.
Make a well in flour-butter mixture and add 1 cup buttermilk. Gently mix just until dough comes together; it will look rough. Scrape dough from sides and bottom of bowl; add another 1/4 cup buttermilk and mix again to incorporate floury scraps. Stop mixing when the majority of dough has collected in 2 or 3 large, messy dough clumps leaving some small floury scraps and butter pieces remaining. If dough is visibly dry and crumbly, add remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time.
On a lightly floured surface, gather and gently pat dough into an oblong shape 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick using the heels and sides of your palms. It won’t look smooth or particularly cohesive—that’s okay. Use a biscuit cutter to cut jammers at least 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Layer leftover scraps on top of one another, gently pat to a 1- 1/2 to 2-inch thickness and cut into circles.
Gently support the outside edge of the biscuit with your fingers and use your thumb to create a bulb-shaped hole the size of a fifty-cent piece in the middle of each biscuit. It should be wider at the bottom and go nearly to the bottom (think pinch pot.) Fill each indentation with 1 tablespoon jam and place jammers 1-1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the biscuits are deep golden brown.