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Grandma's Sky-High Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Trisha's Kitchen" by Trisha Yearwood


Recipe Introduction

"My Grandma Lizzie used to make biscuits to go along with every meal. Most often, she made a quick buttermilk biscuit, but sometimes for Sunday dinner she made these high-rise yeasted biscuits. I remember them fondly. My grandaddy called them cathead biscuits because he said they were as big as a cat's head! At the end of the meal he would poke a hole in the side of this fluffy biscuit and pour in some honey or maple syrup for his dessert. The folding and refolding of the dough gives them all those wonderful layers. You'll love how light and tall these biscuits are!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ 5 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup warm water (90° to 110° F)
â—¦ 2 (¼-ounce) packets active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons)
â—¦ 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into small cubes and chilled, plus more for greasing and 4 tablespoons (½ stick), melted
â—¦ 2 cups buttermilk


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir until the yeast has dissolved. Let stand until bubbles appear, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using your hands, mix the 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter into the flour, breaking the butter into small pebbles, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk and the yeast mixture. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients. Keep mixing until a ball starts to form, then flour your hands and gently knead in the bowl 12 to 15 times, to create a smooth dough. If the mixture is too sticky to easily knead, sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour over the top as you knead. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface. Flour your hands and press the dough out to 2 inches thick. Fold the dough in half, press it out again to 2 inches thick, then fold and press again into a 2-inch-thick square slab.

Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with butter. Cut the dough into 12 equal squares and tuck the corners under to make each biscuit into a ball, trying not to mash down too much, then add to greased skillet. The biscuits will be snug and puff up together when they bake. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt.

Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted between the center biscuits comes out clean.
Brush again with melted butter and serve warm.

Makes 12 biscuits