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My grandmother's biscuit recipe failed completely last Sunday
I've been making these biscuits for 20 years from my grandmother's handwritten card. Last Sunday I decided to finally try her "secret" step she always mumbled about - freezing the butter then grating it in. Well I froze the butter solid and the grater nearly took off my fingernail. Then the dough came out dry and crumbly, and the biscuits tasted like salty playdough. I think she meant partially frozen, not rock hard from a deep freezer set to zero. Has anyone else tried freezing butter for biscuits and had it go this wrong?
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nancy3514mo ago
My neighbor actually had the exact same problem last month when she tried freezing butter for pie crust. She put the butter in the freezer overnight and it turned into a hard block, just like what you described. She ended up with shredded knuckles and the pie crust came out tough and greasy at the same time. I remember @olivia_murphy mentioned that story about her friend Sarah and the dog eating the butter shavings, which matches what I saw happen to my neighbor. The trick I learned from watching cooking videos is to freeze the butter for about 15 minutes, maybe 20 if your fridge is warm. That gets it firm enough to grate without turning it into a dangerous ice cube.
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olivia_murphy4mo ago
My friend Sarah tried this exact thing last Christmas and she ended up with grated butter ALL OVER her kitchen floor. She said the grater slipped and sent frozen butter shavings flying everywhere, her dog ate half of it before she could clean up. The biscuits turned out terrible too, like hockey pucks with a weird salty aftertaste. She finally called her grandma who laughed and said "you're supposed to freeze it just until it's firm, not until it's a brick." Now she just chills the butter in the fridge for an hour then cuts it in with a pastry blender, way safer for everyone involved.
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