master-cooks | The Secret To Taller Biscuits? Overcrowd Them In The Pan

The secret to achieving taller, fluffier biscuits lies in how you arrange them in the baking pan. Contrary to the belief that spacing biscuits apart allows them to rise freely, the best results come from placing them close together, almost touching. This technique limits the spread of the dough and encourages upward growth, resulting in a taller biscuit. When biscuits are crowded in the pan, they support each other as they bake, pushing upwards rather than outwards. This approach not only enhances their height but also helps them retain moisture, yielding a tender, soft interior. Additionally, the edges of the biscuits touching each other create less surface area exposed to the dry heat of the oven, preventing them from becoming overly crusty or dry. The close-contact method helps maintain an even temperature across the biscuits, promoting uniform baking. To maximize this effect, use a high-sided baking dish or a cast-iron skillet, which can provide extra support. By carefully crowding the biscuits, you embrace an age-old baking trick that effortlessly elevates your homemade biscuits to a new height of perfection.

It's all about the spacing

If you've ever baked chocolate chip cookies, you've likely noticed that the farther apart each piece of dough is, the more it spreads out. This same principle applies to biscuits, which is why they often come out of the oven quite flat. To prevent this, simply place the unbaked biscuits closer together. Keeping just ½ inch of space between each biscuit can help them rise to a desirable height. For even taller biscuits, arrange the dough rounds so they are almost touching, but be careful not to press them too tightly together, as they may merge into one large mass. Using a cast iron skillet for baking your biscuits can also promote rising, as the skillet's high sides will help contain the dough and prevent lateral spreading.

Sometimes, the height of a biscuit can be more suitable for specific uses. A slightly shorter biscuit can make it easier to bite into a stacked breakfast sandwich, while taller biscuits provide more surface area for soaking up gravy and other savory sauces. Feel free to experiment with how closely you place your biscuits until you discover the ideal height.

More ways to improve your biscuits

To ensure your biscuits rise above the rest on the plate, it's important to not only crowd them closely in their pan or skillet but also to take a few additional steps. If you're preparing biscuits from scratch, keep your ingredients as cold as possible, particularly the butter. Mixing a rough dough with visible chunks of butter will help prevent overmixing, resulting in a taller and fluffier biscuit.

When cutting your dough into individual pieces, make sure to use clean, firm cuts. A common error in biscuit-making is twisting or sawing the cutting tool against the dough, which can create seals that cause the dough to stick together and hinder even rising. Instead of using a biscuit cutter, consider cutting square biscuits with a knife or bench scraper. This method eliminates leftover dough that would need to be rerolled, minimizing handling of the dough. Plus, square biscuits offer a rustic, homemade look and can rise just as high when arranged correctly on the baking pan.

The Secret To Taller Biscuits? Overcrowd Them In The Pan

It's all about the spacing

More ways to improve your biscuits

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