Very Country Biscuits
Submitted by mrickman
Country buttermilk biscuits baked tall and golden in a hot oven, with cold butter cut into the flour for flaky layers and tangy buttermilk for tender lift. The flaky biscuit grandma made.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minThere’s a reason these taste like grandma’s kitchen: nothing fancy, just cold butter, buttermilk and a hot oven, treated with a little respect. Get those three right and you’ll pull tall, flaky biscuits off the sheet every time.
Cutting cold butter into the flour until it looks like coarse meal is the heart of it. Those little flecks of solid butter melt and steam in the oven, prying the dough apart into flaky layers. Warm butter just blends in and you lose the flake, so keep everything cold.
Buttermilk earns its spot too. Its acid reacts with the baking powder for extra lift and lends that gentle tang a country biscuit needs. A blazing hot oven sets the outside fast and forces a quick, dramatic rise.
A brush of melted butter over the tops, going in and again coming out, gives them a soft, golden crust. Split one open warm and the steam should escape in a cloud.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep the butter and buttermilk cold so the biscuits bake up flaky, not dense.
- Handle the dough as little as possible; overworking makes biscuits tough.
- Cut straight down and don’t twist the cutter, which seals the edges and stops the rise.
- Bake them touching for soft sides, or spaced apart for crisp edges.
Variations
- Add a handful of grated cheddar and a pinch of cayenne.
- Fold in chopped chives or cooked crumbled bacon.
- Brush with honey butter for a sweet finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over a large bowl.
Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Pour in the buttermilk and blend with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out on a lightly floured cutting board or working surface.
Knead the dough until smooth about 2 minutes, and roll out to ¾ inch thick.
Cut out and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment papper.
Brush the top with the melted butter.
Bake until golden brown about 15 minutes.
Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
Serve warm or place the biscuits on the wire rack to cool completely.
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