There’s nothing better for dinner on a down right cold here in the Deep South night than homemade buttermilk biscuits.
We’re on a buttermilk biscuit kick of late, which is probably attributed to changing weather patterns, leaves, internal clocks tuned into this weekend’s fall backwards gain of an extra hour, and feathering our nest routines.
Dave the Builder is a hot biscuit (yeah he is!) and butter man.
His view on jelly, jam, preserves, honey, or even good cream gravy is it complicates matters and covers up the true biscuit goodness.
I on the other hand go the small smear of butter with a drizzle of honey route.
Heat oven to 500°F. Grease your pan (I use a black cast iron skillet) with shortening.
I use a measuring cup to scoop the flour from the bag to a medium mixing bowl.
Use a whisk to gently sift the flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour by pushing the flour to the edges of the bowl. Pour cold buttermilk into well and add shortening. Using your hand (I wear a vinyl food service prep glove- a total game changer) incorporate the shortening into buttermilk.
Begin to pull the flour from the sides of the bowl into the buttermilk and shortening well until you’ve worked the flour from the sides of the bowl into a dough.
Do not overmix.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently 10 to 12 strokes. No need to over knead. Shorter kneading time makes for a flakey biscuit.
Pat the dough out to slightly more than a ½-inch thick. Very lightly dust dough with flour.
Cut dough with a biscuit cutter of choice making sure to dip cutter in flour between cuts.
My biscuit cut turns out to be about 2½ inches across each biscuit.
Place biscuits close together in pan, sides touching.
Bake in a 500°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly brown on tops.
Makes eight 2½ inch biscuits.
Easy, warm, filling, familiar, and satisfying- homemade buttermilk biscuits hit the spot.
