The Big Mistake To Avoid When Cutting Biscuits

Dealing with fragile biscuit dough can take time and effort. Perfect biscuits require careful mixing and folding to ensure light layers come out in the final product. Some may even say these layers make or break them. Common tips for a flaky biscuit are to use cold butter and to hand-mix the dough until it just barely holds together. However, it's not just the mixing methods and incorporation of butter that are common mistakes everyone makes when baking biscuits. The way that you cut the biscuit is the final step in ensuring its flaky layers are preserved before they hit the oven rack.

To make the best biscuits, it is ideal to invest in a circular biscuit cutter. These cutters are thin and sharp and will make precise cuts through each layer of the biscuit dough. Not everyone has a biscuit cutter though, so it's understandable if you reach for a circular glass or small ramekin to get the job done. Even though this is resourceful, these tools have thick and rounded rims that are too dull for the job. When they press down into the dough, they smush and flatten the edges of the biscuit, effectively gluing them together and preventing a uniform rise.

Even though owning a biscuit cutter is a secret that makes your biscuits so much better, there are some other crafty tools that do the job just as well if you're in a pinch. Plus, it's already guaranteed that you have at least some of these tools lying around in the kitchen. For one, you can freehand your biscuit circles with a knife. However, make sure to lift the knife up and down instead of dragging it through the dough. Dragging the knife through the dough will disturb the uniformity of the layers and create an uneven biscuit edge. Make incisions up and down as you work your way around carving out a circle — if that's your shape of preference. The best part of using a knife is that you can shape the biscuits however you please. From hearts to squares to triangles, any fun shape is possible!

For those who don't want to freehand with a knife, try using an empty canned food can. These cans are almost as thin as biscuit cutters, just make sure to avoid using cans with a small rim left over from removing the top. Speaking of fun shapes, you can also use tall cookie cutters to make your biscuits, from round cutters for traditional biscuits to whatever fun-shaped cutters you have on hand. With so many alternatives, you'll never reach for a dull glass to cut your biscuits ever again.