Petit Beurre Biscuits Français (Printable version)
Biscuits français dorés et croustillants, parfaits pour le goûter avec un thé ou un café.
# What You'll Need:
→ Main Ingredients
01 - 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ cup granulated sugar
03 - 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
04 - 3 ⅓ tablespoons whole milk
05 - 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
06 - 1 pinch fine sea salt
07 - 1 vanilla bean (or 1 packet vanilla sugar)
# How to Prepare:
01 - In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the whole milk. Add the granulated sugar and the scraped seeds from the vanilla bean, stirring continuously until the sugar has fully dissolved.
02 - Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the butter-milk-sugar mixture to cool slightly until just warm to the touch. Transfer the warm liquid to a large mixing bowl.
03 - Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt to the mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms and no dry patches remain.
04 - Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up and make it easier to roll.
05 - Preheat the oven to 350°F using the conventional (static) bake setting. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
06 - On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough to an even thickness of about ⅛ inch (3 to 4 mm). Keep the dough moving as you roll to prevent sticking.
07 - Using a traditional fluted rectangular cookie cutter, cut out the petit beurre shapes from the rolled dough. Re-roll any scraps and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
08 - Place the cut biscuits onto the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between each. Gently prick each biscuit several times with a fork to create the classic dotted pattern.
09 - Bake on the center rack for 12 minutes, or until the edges and tops are evenly golden brown. Keep a close eye on them during the last 2 minutes to avoid over-browning.
10 - Transfer the biscuits to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely before serving. This ensures they become perfectly crisp throughout.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- These biscuits are deceptively simple, but the vanilla scented dough tastes like something handed down through generations.
- They stay crisp in a tin for up to two weeks, which means you can always have something homemade ready for unexpected guests.
02 -
- If the dough warms up while you are cutting, it will stick to everything, so work in batches and return the rest to the fridge.
- The biscuits firm up considerably as they cool, so do not judge the texture straight from the oven or you will overbake them.
03 -
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper so you never add extra flour that could toughen the biscuits.
- A scalloped rectangular cutter is traditional, but any shape works beautifully as long as the thickness is even across the whole sheet.