Aunt Elsa’s Buttermilk Biscuits
Aunt Elsa always had a huge container of biscuit mix in her freezer, so whenever she needed biscuits she would scoop some out, add water or buttermilk, and have a batch baking in just a few minutes. When I was a kid, it seemed like magic. I was an adult when she brought me my first container of mix and I realized that this magic powder was in fact her own version of instant biscuit mix! Sometimes I mix up 3 or 4 times the recipe and store it in the freezer so I, too, can make magic biscuits. Tender and flaky, they are best straight out of the oven. The baked biscuits don’t store well, but I’ve rarely had any leftovers!
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 2 dozen
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 2
In a large bowl, place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk together until well blended. Add the shortening and use your hands or a pastry blender to very quickly blend it into the flour until there are some pieces the size of small peas and some twice that size. If desired, you can transfer the mixture to a tightly sealed container and freeze until needed.
Step 3
Add the buttermilk at once and stir just until blended into a sticky dough; if it seems dry, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Step 4
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands 5 to 10 times, just until a ball forms. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2- or 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can and transfer them to an ungreased cookie sheet; place them close together so that all of the biscuits will fit on one sheet. Gather the scraps together into a ball (handling the dough as little as possible). Roll it out to 1/2 inch thick and cut out as many biscuits as you can. Place them on the sheet; discard the remaining scraps.
Step 5
Bake until puffed and golden on top, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve hot, and spread with butter and honey if desired.
