buttermilk biscuits

I can't think of many foods more comforting than a warm biscuit, right out of the oven.

Smothered in butter at the dinner table? Delightful.

Drenched in in my Uncle's secret gravy recipe? Even better.

But it all starts with the biscuit. This recipe is a combination of Alton Brown's Southern Biscuits, 

and a failed attempt at PW's Vanilla Bean Scones. Just in case you're wondering, I tried making 

a lemon version and used buttermilk instead of cream. They turned out to be sweet, lemony, 

dense biscuits. They actually tasted pretty good, but not something I would make again. 

I figured I would tweak things around and make biscuits on purpose this time.

What you will need:

4 cups flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

8 tablespoons butter, cold

2 cups buttermilk, chilled

makes about 15 biscuits

Preheat your over to 450 degrees F.  Combine dry ingredients in a large, shallow bowl.

Slice cold butter into thin pats. DO NOT soften your butter!

Place the cold butter chunks in the bowl and "cut into" the flour mixture until it looks crumbly. 

Basically, you want to chop the butter into tiny pieces, no bigger than peas. 

 

You can do this using pastry cutter if you have one, but knives, a cookie cutter, 

or an apple slicer would work as well. Just watch your fingers!

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk.

Gently mix until the dough until it comes together- you may need to add more buttermilk. 

The dough will be sticky and gooey, and you should still be able to see butter chunks.

Place dough onto a well-floured surface and smooth out. Flour the top as well.

Cut out biscuits with 2" cookie cutter rounds. OR if your dough is so sticky it refuses to cooperate 

with your cookie cutter, grab large chunks of dough and shape gently with you hands. 

They won't be perfect circles, but in my opinion, messy biscuits taste better!

Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet. It's ok if they are close together.

Bake at 450 degrees for 25-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Best enjoyed warm, but should keep 3 or 4 days in an airtight container.