Bisquets de Nata Hidalguenses

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide mixing bowl
• •2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Pastry brush
• •Cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the fat

   Keep the butter, nata, milk, and egg cold until the moment you use them. Bisquets need cold fat so the dough opens in soft layers instead of baking into a heavy roll. Nata gives tenderness, but it still needs discipline.

2. 2

   Mix the dry ingredients

   Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a wide bowl. Do it well. A pocket of baking powder tastes bitter and leaves yellow spots in the crumb. No me vengas con atajos.

3. 3

   Work in the butter

   Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces left. Those pieces melt in the oven and make the bisquet tender. If your kitchen is hot, put the bowl in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

4. 4

   Add nata and milk

   Whisk the nata, cold milk, and egg together until mostly smooth. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough gathers into shaggy clumps. If dry flour remains at the bottom, add cold milk one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be soft, not wet, and it should still look a little rough.

5. 5

   Fold the dough

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured table. Pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it a quarter turn, and pat it out again. Do this three times. You are not kneading bread. You are building layers. Press with your palms, do not attack it.

6. 6

   Cut the bisquets

   Pat the dough to 1 inch thick. Cut rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Twisting seals the edges and stops the rise. Gather scraps gently, pat again, and cut the rest. The second batch will be less perfect. That is normal. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.

7. 7

   Brush and bake

   Set the bisquets on a parchment-lined baking sheet, close but not touching. Brush the tops with the egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake at 425F for 15 to 18 minutes, until tall, golden, and lightly browned at the base. The sides should feel set and the tops should have a deep yellow shine.

8. 8

   Serve warm

   Let them rest five minutes, then split them with your fingers. Serve with more nata, fruit jam, cajeta, or just coffee. In Pachuca, this is not dessert pretending to be breakfast. It is pan de café, practical and generous. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy nata from a Mexican creamery, a market dairy stand, or make it by simmering whole milk and collecting the thick cream that sets on top as it cools. Supermarket heavy cream is thinner. It works only as a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Do not twist the cutter. Press down and lift. Twisting seals the edge, and then people wonder why their bisquets rise like tired coins.
• •The dough should look a little rough. Smooth dough means you worked it too much. Bisquets reward restraint.
• •If the nata is very thick, almost like clotted cream, use the full 1/2 cup milk. If it is loose, hold back two tablespoons of milk and add only if the dough needs it.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut bisquets can be frozen unbaked on a tray, then stored in a freezer bag for up to one month. Bake from frozen at 425F, adding 3 to 5 minutes.
• •Baked bisquets keep one day at room temperature wrapped in a clean cotton servilleta. Rewarm in a low oven before serving.
• •Nata can be collected over several days and refrigerated in a covered jar. Use it within 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)