gluten sheets. Next, moisture—from both the butter and the
liquid added to the dough—begins to vaporize, forming
bubbles that rapidly increase in volume and inflate the
interstitial spaces between the gluten layers, causing them to
separate. Meanwhile, remember there’s also baking powder
and baking soda involved. This causes the parts of the
dough that are made up of flour and liquid to leaven and
inflate, adding tenderness and making the texture of the
biscuits lighter.
Folding
One of the keys to ultratender biscuits is not all that different
from making light pancakes: don’t overmix. You want to
knead the ingredients just until they come together.
Overmixing can lead to excess gluten formation, which
would make the biscuits tough. The other secret is to keep
everything cold. If your dough warms up too much, the
butter will begin to soften and become more evenly
distributed in the dough. You want the butter in distinct
pockets to help give the biscuits a varied, fluffy texture.
There are a couple ways to help achieve these goals. First
is to incorporate the butter using a food processor. A food
processor’s rapidly spinning blade will make short work of
the butter, with little time for it to heat up and begin to melt.
The method by which you incorporate the buttermilk is also
important. Some folks like to do it by hand, others in the
food processor. I find that the absolute best way is with a
flexible rubber spatula, gently folding the dough and
pressing it onto itself in a large bowl. Not only does the
folding motion minimize kneading (and thus gluten), it also