Simple Small-Batch Baking: 60 Recipes for Perfectly Portioned Cookies, Cakes, Bars, and More, written by Mike Johnson, features a wonderful collection of both sweet and savory treats with portions perfect for the smaller household. A few highlights include Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Chocolate Pecan Skillet Cookie for Two, No-Bake Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars, Cereal Milk Baked Doughnuts, and Small-Batch Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza. I will also be sharing his recipe for Honey Buttermilk Biscuits following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson is a self-taught baker, recipe developer, food photographer and the creator of the baking blog, Mike Bakes NYC.
His work has been featured in Bake from Scratch magazine, BuzzFeed, feedfeed, Food52, and more. He is currently based in New York City. Mike is also the author of Even Better Brownies.
Simple Small-Batch Baking
Mike begins Simple Small-Batch Baking with a short introduction, guide for essential bakeware, and a few tips and tricks to help get started.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Have Your Cake & Eat It Too; Crazy for Cookies; Brownies, Bars & Squares, Oh My!; Pies & Tarts Made Easy; Weekend Brunch; and Savory Treats.
I especially love the small-batch portions in this book. As a family of four, the recipes were perfect for us with minimal leftovers.
Mike also provides the beautiful photography. Every single recipe is paired with a full page photo of the finished dish.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, personal stories, total time, yield, and helpful tips.
Honey Buttermilk Biscuits
Biscuits and scones are some of my favorite additions to breakfast/brunch. I was immediately drawn to these Honey Buttermilk Biscuits and they were so perfect for starting the day. The fluffy and flaky interior was incredible paired with the honey butter glaze on top.
Flour is combined with baking powder and salt before cutting in cubes of cold butter to create a coarse and crumbly mixture. Buttermilk and honey are mixed in just enough to bring the dough together.
On a floured work surface, flatten the dough into a 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) thick rectangle and fold into thirds. Rotate the dough, flatten again, then repeat this folding process two more times.
Cut the dough into 6 squares, brush the tops with more buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake until golden, then brush the tops with the honey butter glaze before serving.
A Few Tips
Mike states to check the bottom of the biscuit to see if it is nicely browned as a guide for when the biscuits are done.
I used a dough blender to cut in the well-chilled, diced butter. You can also use two forks or the tips of your fingers. Just try to work as quickly as possible.
Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into squares.
To keep the wonderful texture in these Honey Buttermilk Biscuits, do not over-mix the dough and make sure everything is as cold as possible when it goes into the oven.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 4 days.
More Treats
I also made the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, Small-Batch Lemon Bars, Strawberry Cardamom Puff Pastry Pop Tarts, and Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles were such a fun treat to make with the kids. Heat-treated flour is combined with butter, sugar, vanilla, and chopped chocolate to make the cookie dough base, then formed into balls and covered in even more chocolate.
The Small-Batch Lemon Bars were a favorite for Chad. A buttery shortbread crust is topped with a bright curd-like lemon mixture, then baked until set. The flavors were fantastic.
The Strawberry Cardamom Puff Pastry Pop Tarts were another delicious addition to brunch. Rectangles of puff pastry are filled with a homemade strawberry cardamom jam, baked until golden, and topped with a strawberry glaze.
This copycat recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits brought back so many memories! Mike states, “These beautifully light, flaky, garlicky cheddar drop biscuits glisten with butter and are speckled with parsley; they are slightly crisp on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside.” The flavors were absolutely amazing and I will definitely be making these often whenever I need to use up some extra Cheddar cheese.
Simple Small-Batch Baking is a great pick for those wanting to only bake a few items for 1-4 people, eliminate food waste, and make something with minimal clean up. Yields average from two to ten pieces. Recipes range from quick and easy treats to longer prep yeast breads and more intricately decorated mini cakes.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store. A few items that may require further searching include vanilla bean paste, blood oranges, marshmallow fluff, cardamom pods, and pearl sugar.
Honey Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Excerpt from Simple Small-Batch Baking
Honey Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons (190 milliliters) buttermilk cold and divided
- 1/2 tablespoon (10 grams) honey
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
For the Honey Butter Glaze:
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 tablespoon (10 grams) honey
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside the pan.
- To make the biscuits, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt to combine.
- Add the butter, tossing the cubes through the flour until each individual piece is well coated. Working quickly, using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of walnut halves.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (175 milliliters) of the buttermilk and the honey.
- Using a silicone spatula, fold everything to combine the ingredients, until the dough begins to come together. Be careful not to overwork the dough! It will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots.
- Pour the dough and any dry crumbles onto a floured work surface, and gently bring them together, using generously floured hands. The dough will become sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby, and use it often to flour your hands and your work surface, so that nothing sticks.
- Using a rolling pin or floured hands, roll out/flatten the dough into a 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) thick rectangle (the exact size doesn't matter, just the thickness).
- Brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush, then fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, and gently roll out/flatten it into a 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) thick rectangle and repeat the folding. Repeat the rotating, rolling, and folding process one more time.
- Flatten the dough into a 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) thick rectangle approximately 9 x 5 inches (23 x 13 centimeters), and trim a thin border around the sides of the dough to create clean edges.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into a 3 x 2 grid to make six biscuits. Place the biscuits close together, about 1/2 inch (1.3 centimeters) apart, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of buttermilk, and sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar. Bake the biscuits for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- While the biscuits are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, honey, and salt until combined.
- Once you remove the biscuits from the oven, carefully brush the tops with the honey butter, and serve them warm.
- Cover leftovers tightly, and store them at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Leave a Reply