Ingredients

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 

2 tablespoons baking powder 

2 teaspoons sugar 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

2 cups heavy cream 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cream; stir until dough just comes together (it will be sticky).

Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and with floured fingers, pat dough to a 1-inch thickness. Cut out rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cutting as close together as possible.

Space about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let biscuits cool 5 minutes before serving.

Place biscuits on an unlined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Generously brush tops of biscuits with cream. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool.