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.
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!
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.
Gwen
Made these a couple days ago for our Christmas brunch and recipe turned out great! Thank you so much for sharing! It was my first time making a biscuit/scone or anything of the like and I was really pleased with the finished product, so thanks again!
Jennifer
Just finished making these. I’ve only tasted the “scrap” biscuit (you know, the lump that isn’t quite big enough to form a full portion but big enough you don’t want to throw it away?), which is light, fluffy, and tart. A couple weeks ago I bought a small bag of Meyer lemons at Trader Joe’s and a bag of cranberries thinking, “sure, I’ll make something (each independently)”. And, here I am.
I did substitute in one cup of white whole wheat flour, because I can – still light and not dense like a lot of wheat flour products end up being – while adding a hint of nuttiness. And, I didn’t have any turbinado sugar left, so the topping was a bit weak with the granulated.
The only other change I think I’d make in the future is to brush the tops with beaten egg instead of buttermilk. The biscuits don’t get golden with the buttermilk as I think they would with an egg wash.
The flavor isn’t as sweet as I hoped for, especially with the tart fresh cranberries. But, the texture and lightness of flavor I can see being a great accompaniment to tea or coffee.
I do wonder: ever think about putting some of the Meyer lemon flesh into the dough rather than just the zest?
https://weirdshaped.blogspot.dk/
Are you crazy woman! I need this pronto. Oh oh how delicious.
Where weird shapes happen: https://weirdshaped.blogspot.co.at/
jo
These were great! Delicious. Do NOT open a bakery, it really sucks.. however, DO write the recipes & stand at the window to hand everyone their morning cup of cheer & biscuit
Erica
I’m just now planning tonight’s dinner… would these be appropriate for dinner? Perhaps I could sub cheddar for the sugar and lemon? Make them a little more savory? Anyone got an idea here? I’ll be serving them with deer loin and some roasted Brussels sprouts!
Emma
These look great! We usually end up with a lot of leftover cranberries after Christmas so I’ll bookmark these. x
sara
These look scrumptious!
Candice @ The Savory and The Beautiful
Clearly I’d be a regular at said biscuit and coffee bakery.
Sara Spees Addicott
Will the biscuits taste radically different if you use regular lemon instead of Meyer lemon?
joythebaker
not at all! go for it. meyer lemon are just a tad bit sweeter, but the zest from both lemons will be lovely!
Shana
In Ottawa, Canada there is a place called the Scone Witch which only makes scones and biscuits (are they the same thing? What is the difference between a scone and a biscuit?) They are the best I’ve ever had and they make a bunch of kinds that rotate daily – savoury and sweet. Plus they make little biscuit sandwiches – like roasted carved ham and homemade mustard on a stilton chive biscuit. The last time I was in Ottawa for work I bought 6 to bring home to my husband but the train ride home to Toronto takes 5 hours and none of them made it home.
I can’t wait to try these biscuits. I am having an open house over the holidays and am going to put out a big ham, assorted buns and these biscuits, cheeses, chutney and mustards and people can make their own little sammies. They will be perfect!
Happy holidays!
pernillabredolt
Looks totally awsome!
https://pernillabredolt.com
Jayne @ Tenacious Tinkering
You can really throwdown some biscuit, alright! I daydream about opening a bakery too but as you said, just daydreams. I can never stand up to all that work and hours. I’m too much of a roll-in-my-blankie-with-a-good-book-and-a-mug-of-hot-chocolate kinda person. Work is…meh. But biscuits are always work getting out of my cocoon!
Jordan
These biscuits look AMAZING and what a delicious combination of flavors! I am so going to try these!
Marzia @ Little Spice Jar
These look delish! Anything with Meyer lemons is totally worth trying!
Aravis
I would so totally be in first in line for that biscuit/coffee shop. “joy: the art of biscuitry.” or maybe “joy and biscuits.” just spitballing here.