From biscuits to pie crusts, flaky layers are a goal every baker strives for. And countless tips abound to achieve success, including using ice cold water, folding your dough , and choosing the right butter. The one that pastry chefs and cookbook authors swear by, though? Grating your butter with a box grater.

The concept is similar to working cubes of cold butter into a flour mixture using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporating them until they resemble small peas. However, using grated butter is an easier and less messy process that also delivers the best (and flakiest!) results. Here’s why bakers love it.

Photography by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova

To make these Ultimate Flaky Biscuits , you'll need a box grater.

Why you should grate your butter

Sarah Jampel, ​​King Arthur’s Recipe Development and Test Kitchen Manager, experimented with lots of techniques for incorporating butter while developing her Ultimate Flaky Biscuits .…