Brown Sugar Buttermilk Biscuits
2.8
(4)
The first time I ever had these brown sugar buttermilk biscuits was at my Aunt Sara Mae’s house. But I found out later on that the recipe wasn’t hers: It was one that my great-grandmother Elizabeth Howard passed down to Nana Browne and then to her children. So while biscuits may seem like a simple thing, they speak directly to my heritage. And when I prepare them, I imagine all the hands that made them before me.
However this recipe originally came into being—whether Elizabeth was the creator or someone before her—it makes me happy to know I’m keeping a family tradition alive many generations later. And it brings me even greater joy to share this recipe with the world. It’s like I’m opening my heart or extending my hand in friendship. I’ve often said that bread is love. And these buttermilk biscuits are the embodiment of that.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Homage’ by Chris Scott. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 36 biscuits
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt (don’t bother to sift them). Mix until thoroughly combined. Add the honey and shredded butter. Mix by hand until all the butter is incorporated into the flour; it should have a sand-like texture. Add the buttermilk, make your hand into a claw, and stir in the buttermilk to form a wet dough with a gummy consistency, being careful not to overmix. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour.
Step 3
Dust your hands and a work surface well with flour. Using your hands, roll the biscuits into 2 oz (55 g) balls. Arrange in rows on a baking pan, about 1 in apart.
Step 4
Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes more. To test for doneness, lightly tap the tops of the biscuits in the center of the tray. If the impression of your finger remains, the dough is still raw. If the tops spring back when tapped, the biscuits are done. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 5
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture over the tops of the biscuits. Return to the oven until the sugar just melts and gets sticky, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Recipe notes
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