Masa Biscuits
Submitted by flowell
Masa biscuits blend masa harina with all-purpose flour and buttermilk for a Southwestern twist on the classic flaky biscuit. Crisp golden tops, tender corn-flavored crumb, ready in 15 minutes.
YIELD
20 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minMasa biscuits are a Tex-Mex riff on the Southern classic, where a portion of the flour is swapped for masa harina to bring a sweet, toasted-corn note into the crumb. The texture lands somewhere between a fluffy biscuit and a lightly crumbly cornbread, which makes them the perfect partner for chili, pulled pork, or huevos rancheros.
A double dose of fat, both chilled butter and solid vegetable shortening, is what gives these biscuits their height. Butter brings flavor; shortening brings flake. Cutting both into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal traps tiny pockets of fat that steam open in the hot oven and lift the biscuit. A 450F (230C) start is non-optional. That blast of heat is what kicks the baking powder into action before the dough has a chance to settle.
Pro Tips
- Keep the butter and shortening properly cold. Room-temperature fat melts into the dough and you lose the flake.
- Don’t over-knead. The dough should just hold together. Tough biscuits come from too much handling.
- Cut straight down with the biscuit cutter, no twisting. Twisting seals the edges and stops the rise.
- Rotate the pans halfway through baking. The corners always color faster than the center.
Variations
- Stir in shredded sharp cheddar and a chopped jalapeño for a savory loaded version.
- Brush hot biscuits with melted butter and a pinch of smoked paprika for a chili-house finish.
- Swap half the buttermilk for canned green chile broth (drained from a can of green chiles) for a Hatch-style spin.
Ingredients
Directions
Position racks in the upper and middle thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 450F.
In a large bowl, stir together 3½ cups of the flour, the masa, baking powder, and salt.
With a pastry cutter, blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse and slightly lumpy meal.
Stir in the buttermilk until a soft, crumbly dough is formed.
Sprinkle the work surface with half of the remaining flour.
Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball, and briefly knead it, just until it holds together.
Flatten the dough, sprinkle it with the rest of the flour, and roll it out about 1-inch thick.
With a round 3-inch cutter, form the biscuits, transferring them to 2 ungreased baking sheets and spacing them about 2-inches apart.
Gather the scraps into a ball, roll it out to 1-inch thick, and cut out the remaining biscuits.
Set the baking sheets on the racks and bake about 15 minutes, exchanging the position of the sheets on the racks from top to bottom and from front to back at the halfway point, or until the biscuits are golden and crisp.
Serve hot or warm with jam or butter if desired.
Comments
Do they rise like normal biscuits?
I haven't made these biscuits. By reading the recipe, it uses baking powder, which will definitely make the dough rise. Hope this helps, and happy cooking :)