How to Make a Biscuit's Exterior Crispy

The ideal biscuit will have a slightly crispy exterior and a fluffy interior.

Biscuits should have a light and fluffy interior, but for use as the base for a dessert or for making sandwiches, a crispy exterior to withstand the moisture from the fillings or toppings is desired. The trick to getting a crispy exterior on the biscuits is in the cooking method. High, direct heat with space between the biscuits instead of slow, low heat and touching biscuits will brown and crisp the exterior on the biscuits, leaving the interior light. This method will work with most biscuit recipes or even refrigerated biscuit dough.

Things You'll Need

• Skillet
• 2 tbsp. lard or butter
• Biscuit dough, cut into 2 to 3 inch tall by 1/4 inch thick rounds
• Spatula
• Wire cooling rack
• Baking sheet
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• Pastry brush

Instructions

Stove

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.

2. Melt 2 tbsp. lard or butter in the skillet, swirling it around to coat the bottom of the pan.

3. Place an unbaked biscuit in the hot lard and cook for five to six minutes or until the bottom is browned.

4. Flip the dough with a spatula and cook for five to six minutes or until the bottoms are browned and the biscuits have cooked through. Repeat with the remaining dough. Transfer the cooked biscuits to a wire cooling rack to cool before serving.

Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a baking sheet with 1 tbsp. melted butter with a pastry brush.

2. Arrange the biscuit dough on the baking sheet with at least 1 inch of space on all sides of each biscuit to encourage airflow and browning of the exterior.

3. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 1 tbsp. melted butter with a pastry brush.

4. Cook the biscuits for eight to 10 minutes or until golden brown on the exterior and cooked throughout.

5. Cool the biscuits on a wire rack.

Tips & Warnings

• Reduce the stove or oven temperature if the exterior of the biscuits begins to darken too much before the interior is cooked.

• Cook more than one biscuit in a skillet if your skillet will allow you to put in more dough with at least 1 inch of space on all sides of the dough.

• Break a biscuit in half to test before removing the entire batch from the heat to cool on a wire rack before eating.

References

• "Southern Biscuits"; Nathalie Dupree, et al.; 2011
• "Biscuit Bliss: 101 Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits in Just Minutes"; James Villas; 2004
• "The Texas Cowboy Kitchen"; Grady Spears, et al.; 2007