Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

   Step 2

   Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir to mix. Cut the butter and the shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives in a crosscutting motion until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Work quickly so the butter remains cool and doesn’t melt into the flour.

   Step 3

   Create a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Pour the buttermilk into the well and stir together just until all the flour is incorporated; do not overmix.

   Step 4

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead two or three times, just until it comes together, and form into a flat disk. Using a lightly floured rolling pin or your hands, roll or pat the dough 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Lightly flour a 2- to 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter and cut the biscuits, leaving as little space between each cut as possible and pressing down just once for each biscuit; do not twist the cutter. If the dough begins to stick to the cutter, dip the cutter in a little flour. Gather the excess biscuit dough, reroll once, and cut as many biscuits from it as possible.

   Step 5

   Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter.

2. Chew on this: About Flour and Fat

   Step 6

   Because biscuits are made with so few ingredients, the quality of each one is of utmost importance. That probably accounts for why Southerners are so famously particular about the kind of flour and shortening they use in their biscuits. My mother swears by Martha White flour and Crisco, whereas I—and many others—favor White Lily flour, a brand that is practically synonymous with Southern baking. As for shortening, there are factions that favor lard, those that favor vegetable shortening, and those that favor butter. I use mostly butter for its superior flavor, but I typically add just a little bit of vegetable shortening or lard for extra flakiness.

3. Know-how: Making No-fail Biscuits

   Step 7

   Here are some quick tips that practically guarantee perfect biscuits every time.

   Step 8

   • For the softest biscuits, always use flour that has a low gluten content. All purpose flour is a safe bet, and certain brands, such as White Lily and Martha White, are known for being extra soft. Steer clear of whole-wheat or bread flour.

   Step 9

   • Do not add more flour than is needed to keep the dough from sticking together; if you add too much, the dough will be tough.

   Step 10

   • Do not mix or work the dough any more than is necessary to bring it together.

   Step 11

   • Never roll biscuit dough more than twice or your biscuits will be tough. Any scraps left over from the second rolling can be wrapped around cooked sausage links and baked as pigs-in-blankets (see Sara’s Swaps, page 68) or baked as they are—they won’t look as nice but they’ll taste just as good!

   Step 12

   • Dip the biscuit cutter in flour to keep the dough from sticking to the cutter.

   Step 13

   • To allow your biscuits to more fully rise, cut straight down with the biscuit cutter and resist the urge to twist.

   Step 14

   • For biscuits with soft sides, bake them nestled up next to each other so the sides are touching. For crispy sides, leave a one-inch space between the biscuits.

   Step 15

   • For a fail-proof way of cutting the butter into the flour without any danger of the butter melting, freeze the butter for several hours or overnight and then simply use a grater to grate the butter into the flour.

   Step 16

   • Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even cooking and color.