Air Fryer Homemade Biscuits

Method

1. Add 280 g2¼ cups10 oz of all-purpose flour to a wide, shallow container with a flat bottom. A 9x13 food storage container is perfect. Add ½ teaspoon of fine grind sea salt, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder, then give everything a quick stir to combine.
2. Grate 8 tablespoons of very cold butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into the flour mixture. If the butter is coming out of the freezer, let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes first or it will break apart on the grater.
3. Very gently toss the grated butter through the flour with your fingers, breaking up any clumps, until every shred is coated in flour. That flour coating is what protects the butter while you work with the dough. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
4. Measure out 180 ml¾ cup of buttermilk. Pour about 65 g½ cup2 oz of it across the surface of the flour rather than into one spot, then mix by hand, working from the corners of the container in toward the center so all of the loose flour is hydrated.
5. Squeeze a handful of the dough together to test the hydration. If it crumbles apart, add the remaining buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together and there is no dry flour left in the bottom of the container. Some batches take the full 180 ml¾ cup and some take less, so go by look and feel rather than the measurement.
6. Bring the dough together by lifting it up from the bottom and pressing it back down on itself a few times. Stop as soon as it holds together. Do not knead it into a smooth ball or the biscuits will be tough.
7. Preheat the air fryer or the Ninja Combi on the Air Fry function at 200°C400°F for 10 minutes. Start the preheat now so it is ready by the time the biscuits are cut.
8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and press it into a disc. Gently flip the disc over. If it stays together, the dough is hydrated correctly. Roll it out into a rectangle, 1.5 cm½ inch thick for breakfast sandwiches or 2 cm¾ inch thick for serving with butter and jam.
9. Cut the biscuits with a 7.5 cm3-inch metal biscuit cutter. Press straight down and lift straight up. Do not twist and do not hesitate, because a clean cut is what lets the layers rise. Cut them as close together as you can.
10. Gently gather the scraps, fold them over once, and pat them back down to the same thickness. Do not knead or smooth the top. Cut the remaining biscuits from this second pass.
11. Place the biscuits in the preheated Combi pan on the rack, or in the air fryer basket, in a single layer with a little space between them. Parchment paper is optional and the bottoms brown better without it. About 6 biscuits fit comfortably in the Ninja Combi.

    Our tip With about 8 biscuits and room for 6, put the ones waiting for the second batch in the fridge so their butter is still cold when they go in.

12. Lower the temperature to 190°C375°F and air fry for 10 minutes, until the biscuits are risen and golden brown. Preheating at 200°C400°F and baking at 190°C375°F gives the best rise without the tops getting too dark.
13. Move the biscuits to a cooling rack and let them rest for at least a minute before splitting them open. Thicker biscuits benefit from a few extra minutes so the middle finishes setting up.

Tips from Louise

PREP TIPS

• Use a wide, shallow container instead of a mixing bowl. A deep bowl traps dry flour in the bottom, which is what leads to adding too much or too little buttermilk. A 9x13 food storage container or even a cutting board works beautifully.
• Start the 10 minute preheat before you roll out the dough so nothing sits around warming up.
• Butter straight from the refrigerator grates perfectly. Frozen butter needs about 5 minutes on the counter first or it breaks apart on the grater.
• No box grater? A vegetable peeler works, or cut the butter into small cubes.
• Yield changes with thickness and cutter size. A 7.5 cm3-inch cutter at 1.5 cm½ inch thick gives about 8 biscuits, and a 10 cm4-inch cutter or 2 cm¾ inch thickness gives fewer, taller biscuits.

DOUGH TIPS

• Toss the grated butter in the flour until every shred is coated. That coating protects the butter while you work the dough and is what creates the flaky layers.
• Add the buttermilk in stages, never all at once. Pour about 120 ml½ cup across the surface, mix, then add the rest 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Loose flour in the bottom of the container means the dough needs more liquid.
• Squeeze a handful of dough to test it. If it holds together, it is ready. If it crumbles, it needs another tablespoon.
• Bring the dough together by folding and pressing, never kneading. A smooth, elastic dough ball makes tough biscuits.
• Press straight down with the cutter and lift straight up. Twisting seals the edges and keeps the biscuits from rising into layers.
• Scraps can be gathered and cut again. Fold once, pat down, and cut. The second pass biscuits are slightly denser and still delicious.

COOKING TIPS

• Preheat at 200°C400°F but bake at 190°C375°F. The hot start drives the rise and the lower bake keeps the tops from getting too dark.
• Cook in a single layer. Biscuits need airflow around them to brown evenly, so work in batches if your air fryer is small.
• Parchment paper is optional. The bottoms brown better without it.
• Oven style air fryers with a large surface, like the Ninja Combi, fit about 6 biscuits at once. Basket style air fryers usually fit 3 or 4.
• Check at 8 minutes if your air fryer runs hot. They are done when the tops are golden and the sides look set and layered.

VARIATIONS

• No buttermilk: Use regular milk, or milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred in. If you skip the buttermilk entirely, omit the baking soda and add another ¼ teaspoon of baking powder.
• Cheddar and chive: Toss 85 g¾ cup3 oz of shredded sharp cheddar and 2 tablespoons of chopped chives into the flour with the butter.
• Breakfast sandwich biscuits: Roll to 1.5 cm½ inch so the finished biscuit is the right height for sausage and egg.
• Taller biscuits: Roll to 2 cm¾ inch for a taller biscuit that splits beautifully for butter and jam.
• Drop biscuits: Skip the rolling and cutting and pinch off pieces of dough instead. They will not have the same layers but they are quick and delicious.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Split warm and slather with salted butter and jam. Mango jalapeño jam is a little sweet, a little savory, and just a bit spicy, and it is wonderful with these.
• Build breakfast sandwiches with sausage patties, a fried egg, and cheese.
• Serve alongside sausage gravy for a Southern style biscuits and gravy breakfast.
• Serve as a side with soup, chili, or roast chicken.

STORAGE

• Room Temperature: Store baked biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freshly baked is always best, so bake what you need and freeze the rest of the dough.
• Refrigerator: Baked biscuits keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezing Unbaked Biscuits: Place the cut, unbaked biscuits on a piece of parchment paper on a plate or small tray and freeze until completely solid. Transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Air Frying from Frozen: Do not thaw. Preheat the air fryer at 200°C400°F for 10 minutes, place the frozen biscuits in a single layer, lower the temperature to 190°C375°F, and air fry for 13 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
• Reheating: Warm baked biscuits in the air fryer at 160°C320°F for 2 to 3 minutes, or split them and toast the cut sides in a skillet with a little butter.