On Easter, I didn’t feel like making yeast rolls….biscuits sounded a lot easier. Honestly, though, unless I make them with bisquick, my biscuits usually have the texture of rocks. However, this time was different….I had success! I got the recipe from my Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. It explained the best biscuits are made with lard, the tastiest made with butter and that many prefer a mixure of both. My biscuits actually came out flaky with this recipe – I think it had something to do with the pea sized pieces of butter- I didn’t overprocess or knead the dough.
Buttermilk Biscuits
From the Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook, recipe by Natalie Chanin
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 t. baking powder
- 1 t. salt
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled (can be a combo of butter and lard/shortening- lard being preferrable to shortening)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 T. butter, melted
Cooking Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of peas. Do not let the butter pieces get smaller – this is what makes the biscuits flaky.
- Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to form a soft dough.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut in rounds.
- Pat the scraps back together and cut out more biscuits.
- Place on a large baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. Brush the hot biscuits with the melted butter.
- Enjoy!