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Best Buttermilk Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Big Food Big Love" by Heather Earnhardt


Recipe Introduction

"This is the recipe from which you can alter and change the flavor of your biscuit. Once you have this version down, try any of the recipes that follow. All are sure to please and easy to prepare."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 ½ cups flour
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
â—¦ 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
â—¦ 3 cups buttermilk, chilled
â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter, melted


Recipe

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium low and mix in the butter until it is the size of small peas. With the mixer running, add the buttermilk, mixing just until blended. Do not overmix; the dough will be a bit shaggy with bits of unincorporated dry ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll it gently into a 1 ½-inch thick circle. Cut out 12 biscuits using a 3-inch cutter, dipping it in flour between biscuits. Do not twist the cutter; this will seal the sides of your biscuits and they will not rise as high.

Arrange the biscuits onto two baking sheets, and brush them with the melted butter. Right before baking, reduce the oven temperature to 425° F. Bake the biscuits until golden brown on top, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking.

Makes 1 dozen 3-inch biscuits



• Which Flour To Use?
At The Goose, we use soft winter-wheat flour from Boonville Flour and Feed Mill in Boonville, North Carolina, where they have been milling flour since 1896. Soft winter-wheat is a variety grown mostly east of the Mississippi that has a low protein and gluten content, and hence a more delicate crumb. Granny used classic White Lily flour. If you can't find either of those, you can substitute half cake flour and half all-purpose flour, or use Bob's Red Mill organic unbleached white all-purpose flour or any unbleached all-purpose flour. Depending on which flour you use, you might need to add a touch more buttermilk to your dry ingredients.