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Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen" by Sara Foster


Recipe Introduction

"As anyone who has actually made biscuits from scratch will tell you, they are fast and oh-so-easy — no culinary wizardry required. Of course, you needn't go out of your way to divulge that fact when serving these rich, flaky biscuits to a chorus of oohs and ahhs. Sometimes, certain things are better left unsaid. Serve warm with lots of sweet butter, honey, molasses, or jam."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 ½ cups self-rising flour
â—¦ Pinch of kosher salt
â—¦ Pinch of sugar
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
â—¦ 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard
â—¦ 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir to mix. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives in a cross-cutting motion until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Work quickly so the butter remains cool and doesn't melt into the flour.

Create a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Pour the buttermilk into the well and stir together just until all the flour is incorporated; do not overmix.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead two or three times, just until it comes together, and form into a flat disk. Using a lightly floured rolling pin or your hands, roll or pat the dough ½ to ¾ inch thick. Lightly flour a 2- to 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter and cut the biscuits, leaving as little space between each cut as possible and pressing down just once for each biscuit; do not twist the cutter. If the dough begins to stick to the cutter, dip the cutter in a little flour. Gather the excess biscuit dough, reroll once, and cut as many biscuits from it as possible.

Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.

Makes about 1 dozen 2- to 2 ½-inch biscuits