freezer biscuits

This is a light and fluffy cut biscuit that can be made well in advance and stored in the freezer, just like the frozen biscuits sold at supermarkets--only better. The biscuit dough will not bake well unless it's frozen. Makes about 24 biscuits.

6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups heavy cream

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (if your baking sheets are small, you may need to use 2); set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 60 seconds, adding extra flour as needed if the dough is too sticky.

Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle. Cut out the biscuits using a 2 1⁄2-inch round biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Gather up the scraps of dough and reknead them briefly to combine, then pat the dough again into a 3/4-inch-thick round and cut more biscuits; repeat this process again for a third time. You can either discard any remaining bits of dough or gently pat them into rustic hand-formed biscuits.

To Store: Wrap the baking sheet tightly with greased plastic wrap and freeze the biscuits until frozen solid, about 6 hours. Transfer the frozen biscuits to a large zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. (Do not thaw before baking.) The unbaked biscuit dough cannot be stored in the refrigerator.

To Serve: Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the desired number of biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (If baking a large amount of biscuits, spread them out over 2 baking sheets and bake the sheets separately; do not bake both sheets at the same time.) Serve hot.