I have discovered a trick just recently - and adopted it to go a few steps farther. Pat out the dough into a rectangle. The thickness is not crucial yet but pat only to about 3/4 inch or an inch. Fold in one end of the rectangle onto the dough, along the short edge, then fold the other side in - you are folding in thirds. I know I am not explaining this well but hopefully you get the gist of it. Now turn it 90 degrees, pat it out again into a rectangle and repeat the folding. Think how you fold a paper to fit in an envelope. I saw a recipe that instructed you to do it twice. It is this step that helps to get the flaky layers. note this is NOT kneading. Treat the dough gently. You don't want to develop the gluten in it. What I discovered is that doing it a few times is not really enough - so the entire 1/3 folding and 90 degree turn procedure about 6 or 7 times. I just cut mine into squares but will try the edge trimming technique next time! Rolling it out on my KAF silicone mat helps a lot too - be careful with the sharp knife on it but I find I use a lot less flour to pat them out which is good too. I also have been sticking the prepared and cut biscuits in the freezer for 30 minutes too. After slathering the tops with butter of course! Then take them out of the freezer and right into the pre-heated oven. The recipe i found online that got me on my biscuit quest was for scallions and cheese biscuits. In addition to adding the scallions and shredded cheddar when preparing the dough - put each biscuit on a small heap of shredded cheese and bake. Makes a WONDERFUL crunchy cheese layer on the bottom. Best to use parchment paper too to bake.

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