Biscuit Recipe: Flaky Biscuits with Dried Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

I went deep into the old posts to update this one in time for the upcoming holidays. This biscuit recipe would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas or even just because – it’s that good. They are wonderfully light and the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds add a lovely bit of flavor not usually found in a biscuit.

I don’t know about you but I love biscuits. I’ll often whip up a batch for dinner. They are simple to make but for some reason I had trouble making them. I finally figured out the secrets to tall, flaky biscuits a few years ago:  

• don’t handle the dough any more than you have to,
• use ice cold butter and milk,
• don’t twist the cutter. Push straight down and pull straight up!

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Biscuit Recipe: Flaky Biscuits with Dried Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

• 6 ounces cake flour
• 2 ounces bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
•  

Mixing the Dough

There are two ways to mix biscuit dough: by hand or using a food processor.

By Hand Method

• Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture.

• Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, pinch or cut butter into flour, breaking it into pieces about the size of coarse cornmeal. If using your hands, work quickly to prevent butter from melting.
• *Add the cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Mix well.

• Add milk and stir 10 to 20 times with a wooden spoon, until dough just begins to come together.

• Place dough on a very lightly floured surface. Knead 4 to 5 times, until it just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add too much flour

Food Processor Method

• Pulse flours, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor to combine.
• Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture.
• Pulse for 1 to 2 seconds 8 to 12 times, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
• Add milk and pulse 2 to 4 times, until dough begins to come together. It will form a few large chunks and many small ones.
• Transfer dough chunks to a very lightly floured surface and push together.
• Knead 3 to 5 times, until dough just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add too much flour, which can make the biscuits tough.

Check out this video for a quick demonstration on making biscuit dough:

Baking Tip: How to Handle Leftover Dough

When using a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out round biscuits, you’ll inevitably have leftover dough. Instead of kneading the leftover pieces together before rerolling the dough, stack them in layers and then roll the stack. Every time you knead or roll dough, it will become tougher. Stacking it helps delay the toughening.

This I never knew! I tried it and it worked so well

Storage

Bake immediately, or store in an airtight container. Refrigerator: 2 days. Freezer: 1 month.

Qualities of Good Biscuit Dough

THE DOUGH: Biscuit dough should be dry but easy to manipulate. You should also see small dots of butter throughout the dough.

THE PASTRY: Once baked, biscuits should be tender. The outside crust should be firm and crumble easily, and the crumb inside should be soft.

Adding Mix-Ins

Throwing in some mix-ins—such as herbs or spices, lemon zest, a small pile of cheese, or a big pile of bacon—is a snap. Biscuit dough can handle it! So long as your add-ins are dry, they won’t affect the dough ratio. I added in dried cranberries and toasted pumpkin seeds and they worked very well.

Making Classic Butter Biscuits

Baking for Both Methods

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll prepared dough with a rolling pin until ¾ inch thick.
• Cut out 2½-inch disks with a cookie or biscuit cutter, or simply pull off small handfuls of dough for a more rustic look. Stack pieces of leftover dough, roll dough again, and cut out more disks. Repeat until all the dough is used.
• Place biscuits on a parchment paper–lined or silicone lined baking sheet  spaced at least 1 inch apart
• Brush tops with melted butter or heavy cream
• Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are just golden.
• Let biscuits cool on the panfor 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm.

How Was the Biscuit Recipe?

The hubby and I both really enjoyed the addition of the dried cranberries and the pumpkin seeds. The slightly sweet/tart dried fruit and the earthy seeds were a lovely surprise in what is usually a plain bread.

I’m really looking forward to using the tips and tricks in Making Dough for croissant and danish pastry. I make them several times a year and I am hoping that I’ll be able to improve my results. I do love to bake, I just wish my health was better so I could spend more time in the kitchen.

Biscuit Recipe

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

light biscuits with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds

• Author: adapted from Making Dough
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 32 minutes
• Yield: 8 -12 1x
• Category: Biscuits
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 ounces cake flour
• 2 ounces bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries*
• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds*
• heavy cream for brushing on top of biscuits

Instructions

There are two ways to mix biscuit dough: by hand or using a food processor.

By-Hand Method

• Mix flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl
• Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture.
• Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, pinch or cut butter into flour, breaking it into pieces about the size of coarse cornmeal. If using your hands, work quickly to prevent butter from melting. Add the cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Mix well.
• Add milk and stir 10 to 20 times with a wooden spoon, until dough just begins to come together.
• Place dough on a very lightly floured surface. Knead 4 to 5 times, until it just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add.

Food Processor Method

• Pulse flours, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor to combine.
• Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture. Pulse for 1 to 2 seconds 8 to 12 times, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
• Add milk and pulse 2 to 4 times, until dough begins to come together. It will form a few large chunks and many small ones.
• Transfer dough chunks to a very lightly floured surface and push together. Knead 3 to 5 times, until dough just holds its shape. Take care not to knead the dough too much or add too much flour, which can make the biscuits tough.

Baking for Both Methods

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll prepared dough with a rolling pin until ¾ inch thick.
• Cut out 2½-inch disks with a cookie or biscuit cutter, or simply pull off small handfuls of dough for a more rustic look. Stack pieces of leftover dough, roll dough again, and cut out more disks. Repeat until all the dough is used.
• Place biscuits on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet spaced at least 1 inch apart. Brush tops with melted butter (I used heavy cream).
• Bake for 12 minutes, until tops are just golden. Let biscuits cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Keywords: biscuits, baking powder biscuits, holiday biscuits