I often daydream about opening a bakery. These are just daydreams now that I’ve worked in bakeries and know how back-breaking it really is. But! In my bakery daydreams, I open a biscuit bakery. Just biscuits and coffee. More specifically, really good biscuits and really good coffee. One kind of biscuit, new everyday, and dark drip coffee. In my dreams, my biscuit bakery is on a sunny little side street. People walk up to a little counter, and I hand them their daily biscuit and coffee. I’m also really well-rested and my feet never ever hurt in these fantasies… so that’s pretty nice.
Who knows, maybe one day my biscuit bakery daydreams will become a reality. I should probably keep making biscuits. You know… just in case.
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We’ve spent a lot of time talking about biscuits on this blog. For real. You know what’s up.
Cold butter is cut into flour and such. An egg is beaten with buttermilk and added to the dry buttery mixture. Stir it together. Add the toppings. Coax the dough into a disk. Cut out rounds. Brush. Sprinkle. Oven. AND EAT!
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I’m not humble about my biscuit skills. The rest of my life could be on its head, but daaang can I throw down a biscuit. I urge you to consider making some biscuits this weekend. Cranberry or otherwise. Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Biscuits are perfect for winter. Maple Blueberry Biscuits for breakfast! Feta and Chive Sour Cream Biscuits because… more cheese please!
Original Photography Shot with the Canon EOS 6D Digital SLR. The perfect multimedia solution.
These biscuits are buttery soft and slightly sweet. The fresh cranberries and lemon zest add the perfect amount of tang. I love that these biscuits are studded with pink and feel festive. They’re really great with a sweet cup of morning coffee, but they’d also be great served alongside a roasted chicken dinner (maybe just skip the sugar on top). Buttery, festive and versatile. Well well well. I like us.
Fresh Cranberry and Meyer Lemon Biscuits
makes 10 to 12 biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, but into small cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (you can used thawed and drained berries from the freezer although the scones will have a more pink color)
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
1 beaten egg for brushing the tops of the scones before baking
turbinado or granulated sugar for sprinkling on top before baking
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of ginger, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter (using your fingers or a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Work the butter into the dry ingredients until some of the butter flakes are the size of peas and some are the size of oat flakes. In another bowl, combine egg and milk and beat lightly with a fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough. Fold in the cranberries and zest.
Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 10 times. Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds using a round cutter or cut into 2×2-inch squares. Reshape and roll dough to create more scones with excess scraps. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush lightly with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm. Biscuits are best the day they’re made, and though they can be frozen and lightly reheated in the oven if you need a future treat.
Sophie Mayo
This is by far my family’s favorite biscuit recipe — always a hit… Thank you Joy!
Laurie
Will this recipe work in a scone pan?
joythebaker
Yes, you can!
lesley
HI! If I want to keep these for later, say, mothers day…is it best to bake the scones and then freeze/reheat OR can I freeze raw in circles and bake from frozen? Thanks!
joythebaker
I suggest freeze them raw and then just bake right before eating! Perfect Mother’s Day treat!
Annie Home Baker
Flavored biscuits are so unique. The combination of wintry flavors with lemon and cranberry is just perfect. I look forward to comparing the texture and taste of these biscuits with my buttermilk cranberry lemon scones. I look forward to finding more biscuit recipes on your blog and reading more about biscuit bakery dreams.
Shelby
Made these with cherries instead of cranberries because I wanted them in the summer :) Amazing! First time to make a homemade biscuit and Ill tell ya…I am never going back! Also your instructions and pictures are so helpful. Glad I found you!!
joythebaker
wonderful news! i’m so glad the biscuits were a success!
Elizabeth Batte
I’ll go halfsies in the biscuit business.
Kandice
I LOVE biscuits! I wish biscuit bakeries existed…I would have a hard time keeping myself from going to yours every day! ;-)
Mindy
I made these as breakfast “scones” and they were deliciously buttery! The only thing that I changed was to add a splash of vanilla–I really think it helped bring out the lemon flavor and make them breakfast-appropriate. Oh, I also did half white whole wheat flour and you can’t even tell! Fresh cranberries and fresh organic lemons combined. They freeze well also…I mixed them up a few days ahead of time, cut them out and froze them on a sheet tray for a few hours before popping them into a freezer bag. The morning I want them, I just heat the oven to 400, sprinkle them with a little coarse sugar, and bake them for about 28 minutes. Perfect! Thanks Joy :)