These delectable Blueberry Biscuits are yogurt-based and are somewhat cake-like because they have more sugar than most. And when they are baked the berries that are stirred into the batter bring additional sweetness and pizzazz.
They are a great breakfast treat as well as the foundation of delightful dessert shortcakes. To make the shortcake, cut the biscuits in half horizontally. Sprinkle granulated sugar, about 1 to 2 teaspoons, on a bowl of mixed fresh berries; gently toss and set aside for sugar to dissolve (about 10 minutes). Top bottom half of each biscuit with sweetened whipped cream and top with sweetened berries. Crown each with the top half of the biscuits.
The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking with Dorie.” The author takes all the guesswork out of baking, providing generous helpful tips in her recipes.
Blueberry Biscuits
Yield: About 10 biscuits
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup cold plain yogurt (I use full fat yogurt)
1/4 cup cold milk or buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter (3 ounces), cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh blueberries
Sugar for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
1. Center oven rack and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
2. Stir yogurt and milk or buttermilk together in a bowl. Put flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Push the flour mixture to the side, so you’ve got a little workspace in the bowl, and pour the sugar into the space. Top with the lemon zest and, using your fingers, work the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Stir everything together.
3. Scatter the small butter pieces over the dry ingredients, toss so that they are coated with flour and then, using your hands, press, mash, and rub the ingredients together until you have a bowl full of pieces as small as flakes and as large as peas. Pour the yogurt mixture into the bowl and, using a fork, roughly mix the ingredients together. Stir in the blueberries. The dough will be dry, so you’ll need to toss it with the fork, squeeze it a few times with your fingers and knead it a couple of times with your hands to bring together. Some berries will bruise and break, but that’s fine.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out into a 1/2-inch thick circle, a square, a rectangle, or a raggedy whatever-it-wants-to be. Cut out as many biscuits as you can using a 2- to 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (cut them out as close as possible to one another). Place a couple of inches apart on lined baking sheet. Gently pull scraps together and cut out more biscuits. Sprinkle biscuits with sugar.
5. Bake about 15 minutes, until they’re tall and golden. Pile them in a basket and serve while they are hot. Or use for shortcakes served with whipped cream and sugared mixed berries.
Source: “Baking with Dorie” by Dorie Greenspan
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.