MY FAVORITE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

This biscuit recipe is awesome. It has turned out yummy every time I have made it. I do not make biscuits very often, but sometimes we make Chicken Pot Pie with biscuits (Cade taught me this) and so I use this recipe. They really are delicious. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups   unbleached all purpose flour + plus more for dusting (white lily is the                 best flour for these biscuits if available) 

1/4 tsp  baking soda

1 TBSP  baking powder (without aluminum)

1 tsp     kosher salt 

6 TBSP  unsalted butter, very cold

1 cup    buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1. 1.   Preheat your oven to 450°F.

1. 2.   Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.

1. 3.   Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course           meal.

1. 4.   If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is             achieved.

1. 5.   Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.

1. 6.   If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very           wet.

1. 7.   Turn the dough out onto a floured board.

1. 8.   Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's           about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough             down to a 1 inch thick.

1. 9.   Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.

1. 10.  You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they          will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.

1. 11.  Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them                    touching each other.

1. 12.  If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as        high as the biscuits put close together.

1. 13.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden          brown on top and bottom.

1. *Do not over bake.

1. Note:"The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough.

1. The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits.

1. I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.

1. You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.

1. Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit."

1. Note 2: "You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.

1. When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes."

RECIPE FROM:food