I hope that I am not coming across too strong, or too honest, but I hate the pop-n fresh tubes of dough. I hate everything about them. That scary Boom? when you have to bang the tube on the counter to make it open. I don't like to think about all the chemicals that go into preserving the dough. And I really really don't like that taste - at all, not even a little bit. And I don't like anything that is made with tube dough. When I see a recipe that calls for that, I am automatically "No Thanks!"
But I think that this freezer biscuit dough might change my life. - Not change my thoughts on yucky tube dough, but let me make things that I have been wanting to try and save me the extra step of hand making dough every time -- isn't that what we are all using tube dough for?
This recipe makes biscuits that you can put in the freezer and then pull out and bake exactly how many you would like. If you are interested in using it as a substitute for dough in a tube, allow 10 minutes for the dough to thaw and be pliable enough to work with. This shouldn't take much longer, because the biscuits aren't too thick when they are frozen.
Ingredients:
2.5 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little bit for dusting)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 pint heavy whipping cream ( Yes, this can seem like a very expensive ingredient - but it replaces and expensive ingredient - butter. And does a much better job of being evenly distributed.
Instructions:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder until well combined.
Pour in the heavy cream and stir until a sticky ball of dough forms. Sprinkle the dough generously with flour and then turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
Gently knead the dough 2-3 times, or just until the dough feels mixed and has enough flour that it is no longer sticky. Avoid over working the dough.
Gently pat the dough down into a 6x8 rectangle, then fold it in half. Repeat this two more times. Folding the dough in this manner helps create layers within the biscuits.
After folding, pat the dough down into a 6x8 rectangle one final time. The dough should be about one inch thick. Cut the dough into 12 squares.
Line a baking sheet with parchment, then place the cut biscuits on the parchment, separated just slightly.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the biscuits for a couple of hours, or just until solid. Label and date a gallon-sized freezer bag. Place the frozen biscuits in the bag for long term storage (3-4 months).
To bake the biscuits, place any number of biscuits you want on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let the biscuits thaw only as long as it takes to preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Once the oven is preheated, bake the biscuits until puffed up tall and deep golden brown on top. Depending on your oven and size of the biscuits, it should take about 18-22 minutes (frozen), or 16-20 minutes (fresh).
