Super Easy Lemon Poppyseed Food Processor Biscuits

Guys, there are few things more magical than fluffy hot layered biscuits fresh out of the oven.  But honestly…I’m often too lazy to want to spend time cutting or rubbing the butter into the flour.  Which is why these food processor biscuits are my new EVERYTHING.

I mean, even on my laziest morning I can throw some stuff in a food processor, blitz it, pat it out, and throw it in the oven.  

I love these perfumed with lemon zest and some poppyseeds, for a subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with honey or jam.  But the flavors are totally flexible…try orange zest, cinnamon, chopped fresh rosemary, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

The one thing to know is that my dough is often a bit too wet if I use all the buttermilk called for, so maybe go a little easy at first to see if you need it all.  But even if your dough gets too wet and sticky, you can add a bit of extra flour while you roll it out—problem solved.

And in less than 30 minutes, you’ll have hot, flaky, steamy biscuits just begging to be devoured!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet or line a sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium or large food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pulse a few times, until well mixed.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until fine crumbs form. 

Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and just pulse briefly to combine.

There are a couple ways to incorporate the buttermilk (see notes on an alternate method), but I’m usually lazy and don’t want to dirty another bowl, so I just turn the food processor on low (or pulse) and trickle the buttermilk in while it’s running until the dough comes together.

Try and mix as little as possible…it’ll be a little sticky/wet and that’s fine.

Lightly coat your workspace with flour and turn the dough out onto it.  You may need to sprinkle a little more flour on it if it’s super wet.  Gently knead it a couple times and pat until it’s about 1/2-inch thick, then rotate it 90 degrees, fold it in half, and gently roll or pat it out again until it’s 1/2-inch thick. 

Do that again one or two more times, sprinkling with a little flour in-between if it’s too sticky (the folding creates flakier layers).  Finally pat or roll the dough to 3/4-inch thickness (it should no longer be sticky). Personally I prefer a round-ish shape.

Using a round biscuit cutter, press or punch straight down to cut the dough and transfer the biscuits to your prepared pan (spaced about an inch apart).  You can cut them really close to each other, and then with the scraps smoosh them together and cut your last couple.

You can bake as-is, or I like to just get a little milk or cream on my finger and smear it on top before baking. 

You can also refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking to really solidify the butter again (I tend to be too lazy).

Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan before serving hot.

Mmmmm perfection in less than 30 minutes and with minimum effort!  I love these with melty butter and some honey (though jam’s great too)…I find that the citrus of the lemon zest and the delicate floral notes of local honey just pair perfectly. 

Save for later:  A Tool to Decide What Bread to Make Based On How Long You Have…

And while yes, you might get a *slightly* better more technically perfect result from painstakingly rubbing in the butter with your hands, I think it’s a negligible difference at best—and definitely doesn’t make up for the extra time it would take.  These food processor biscuits are a WINNER.

Other delightful biscuits and scones you’ll love:

• Maple and Oat Scones
• Dreamy, Creamy Scones
• Easy Whole Wheat Biscuits
• Cherry Almond Scones
• Single-Serving Scones

Adapted slightly from A Cozy Kitchen

Super Easy Lemon Poppyseed Food Processor Biscuits

Yield: 8-9 biscuits

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These easy lemon poppyseed food processor biscuits are the perfect answer to lazy mornings. I usually make a half recipe, which makes about 4 biscuits, and they're ready in less than half an hour!

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Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping the dough
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups of cold buttermilk (you may need a bit less)
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon (or more) of poppyseeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet or line a sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium or large food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pulse a few times, until well mixed.
3. Add the butter pieces and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds and just pulse briefly to combine.
4. See notes on an alternate method, but what I usually do is then turn the food processor on low (or pulse) and trickle the buttermilk in while it's running, until the dough comes together. Try and mix as little as possible...it'll be a little sticky/wet and that's fine.
5. Lightly coat your workspace with flour and turn the dough out onto it.  You may need to sprinkle a little more flour on it if it's super wet.  Gently knead a couple times and pat until it's about 1/2-inch thick, then rotate it 90 degrees, fold it in half, and gently roll or pat it out again until it's 1/2-inch thick. 
6. Do that again one or two more times, sprinkling with a little flour in-between if it's too sticky (the folding gives you flakier layers).  Finally pat or roll the dough to 3/4-inch thickness (it should no longer be sticky).  I prefer a round-ish shape.
7. Using a round biscuit cutter, press or punch straight down to cut the dough and transfer the biscuits to your prepared pan (spaced about an inch apart).  You can cut them really close to each other, and then with the scraps smoosh them together and cut your last couple.
8. You can bake as-is, or I like to just get a little milk or cream on my finger and smear it on top before baking.  You can also refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking to really solidify the butter again (I tend to be too lazy).
9. Bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan before serving hot.

Notes

• When I make this, I do a half-recipe, which makes about 4 biscuits.  You can leave out the lemon and poppyseeds, or try other flavors as well.
• If you don't want to add the buttermilk into the food processor itself, you can easily transfer the dry mixture to a large bowl and add the buttermilk, then gently fold it in using a rubber spatula or spoon. Be as gentle as possible and get everything moistened (it'll be a little shaggy).