Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

BEFORE BAKING

AFTER BAKING

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

 Buttermilk biscuits are a tradition of cooking that has been passed down from my great grandmother, to my grandfather and his siblings, to my mom, and now to me! Making them from scratch makes me think of home and family. My great grandmother always made home=made biscuits when we went to visit and I thought it robbery if I didn't learn to make them. I make mine a little different than them. I use shortening and butter, when they usually on use lard or shortening. I find that the combination of the two fats make for a lighter, flakier biscuit.

So here's how I do them.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for work surface...
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter flavored vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), cold, cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

 Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Whisk flour & baking soda in large bowl. Add shortening to flour mixture; break up chunks with fingertips until only small, pea-sized pieces remain. Working in batches, drop butter slices into flour mixture and press between fingers until well incorporated. Repeat until all butter is incorporated; toss to combine. Freeze mixture (in bowl) until chilled, about 15 min.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup of extra flour across mixing surface and gently spread to form an even coat.

Add all but 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to flour mixture; stir with fork until ball forms and no dry bits of flour are visible, adding remaining buttermilk as needed. With rubber spatula, transfer dough onto center of prepared work surface, dust surface lightly with flour, and, with floured hands, bring dough together into cohesive ball (BUT DO NOT KNEAD).

Pat dough into a thick square. Use 1 cup, measuring cup (the open end) floured, to cut out biscuit rounds ( or a biscuit cutter if you have one). Keep forming square until all dough is cut and used. Discard any scraps or just make a smaller biscuit with scraps.

Place dough rounds into round cake pans, close together. (sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray)

Brush biscuit tops with melted butter. Bake, without opening oven door, until tops are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes.

Once biscuits are out of the oven, brush with a generous amount of melted butter.

Let cool from 5 to 10 minutes before serving.