Nothing accompanies a meal quite like a warm biscuit. Topped with jam, honey, butter, or just about anything else you can think of, these biscuits are a quick and easy addition to any meal. Down in the South, families whip up a batch of warm biscuits every week. The rest of us might need something like a holiday to remind us how great they are. Which is likely why there’s National Buttermilk Biscuit Day on May 14th. What better way to enjoy it than authentic Southern style buttermilk biscuits? With this great recipe from food.com, you’ll have delicious, melt in your mouth biscuits in no time. The dough is easy to handle so even the kids can get involved to help prepare your meal! [photo via food.com]
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board (if you can get White Lily flour, your biscuits will be even better)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup buttermilk (approx)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
- Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
- If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
- Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
- If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
- Gently, gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it’s about 1/2″ thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.
- Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
- You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
- Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
- If you like”crusty” sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
- You don’t want burnt biscuits so it’s important not to overbake these. The key to fluffy, flaky biscuits is to handle the dough as gently as possible. Using a rolling pin will result in a tougher biscuit.
You can also prepare these biscuits ahead of time. You can make a batch and stick them in the freezer for up to a month. You’d be surprised how fast these scrumptious biscuits will disappear from the dinner table. This batch will yield 10 biscuits so don’t be afraid to make a second.