Tosi - MasterChef junior baking book: bold recipes and essential techniques to inspire young bakers

CLASSIC

In Season 6, Cade showed off his Southern heritageand some serious baking skillsby preparing a batch of golden, flaky buttermilk biscuits to serve alongside okra and blackened shrimp. One way to get extra flakes in your biscuits is by folding the dough in a stack before cutting it. This helps to create lots of flaky layers in the biscuit that let you split the biscuit open easilyand are perfect for slathering with extra butter and jam! These biscuits are big enough for breakfast sandwiches, but you can cut them into smaller squares before baking if you want to serve them as a side.

MAKES 6 LARGE BISCUITS

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping

2 teaspoons baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 sticks (6 ounces) ice-cold unsalted butter, cubed

cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the butter to the bowl. Use your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is the texture of coarse crumbs and a few pea-size pieces of butter are still visible. (To learn more about this technique, see the MasterChef Lesson, .) Add the buttermilk to the bowl and stir gently with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to press it into an 8-inch square. Fold the square in half and then in half again in the other direction. Gently press the folded dough with your hands, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a 9-inch square. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to slice the dough horizontally in half, then slice each square into 3 equal strips to create 6 large rectangles. Transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. (Or refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.)

4. Brush the tops of the biscuits with beaten egg. Bake until they are tall, golden, and crisp around the edges, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm. Leftover biscuits will keep for 2 days and can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350F oven.

TIP To test the freshness of baking powder, sprinkle a half spoonful into a small cup of hot water: If it fizzes and bubbles, youre good to go. For baking soda, sprinkle half a spoonful into a small cup of something acidic, like lemon water: Again, if it starts bubbling, youre all set.

MASTER THIS

Cream biscuits are a simple style of biscuit that has just four ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and heavy cream. You might be wondering how you can make rich, tender biscuits without butter. The key is the heavy cream, which works in the recipe as both a fat and a liquid! Heres one more thing to love about cream biscuits: Not only are they super quick and easy to make, theyre also endlessly adaptable. Stir in some cheese for a savory suppertime side; add some sugar to the dough and you have a shortcake (). In fact, if you are going to memorize only one recipe in this book, this should be it. Its only four ingredientsthats easy!

MAKES 6 LARGE BISCUITS

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping

1 tablespoon baking powder

teaspoon kosher salt

1 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 cups of the cream and stir the mixture with a fork just until the dough looks shaggy and holds together when squeezed.

3. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop 2- to 3-inch knobs of dough onto the baking sheet, leaving 1 to 2 inches between them. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. (Or refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.)

4. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream. Bake until the biscuits are pale golden and slightly puffed, 20 to 22 minutes. Wait until they are just cool enough to handle, then serve warm. Leftover biscuits will keep for 2 days and can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350F oven.