The Best Buttermilk Biscuits
Of all the recipes on my site, I think this is the one I make the most. We LOVE biscuits at our house, and can't get enough! I make them as a side for soup at least two or three times a month, and every single time, they are gone within a few minutes. (I don't know why I haven't learned yet to just double the recipe, because we have had many a nasty fight over the last biscuit at our house.) I think this is also the only recipe I've ever posted on the blog three different times (you can see my earlier attempts here and here). Each time, I've improved the process, but I think this time, I've actually reached biscuit perfection. These are truly the best biscuits I've ever eaten. They're perfectly crisp on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside. One of these biscuits, served warm with butter and honey, is pretty much the most heavenly food I can imagine.
Since I've made this recipe probably a hundred times at this point, I've figured out a few tricks of the trade to make these biscuits perfect. First, grating the butter. I don't know why this didn't occur to me until recently, but it makes the whole process so easy! You don't have to work at cutting in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, and the butter is evenly distributed throughout. Second, actually using buttermilk. I don't generally have buttermilk on hand, so I've resorted to the old milk + a splash of vinegar trick lots of times. They are definitely better with real buttermilk! I think I'm just going to have to start keeping it on hand, since I do make these so often. Third, don't overmix them! It's totally okay for the dough to be a little shaggy and drier in some parts than in others. Everything comes together while you're shaping the biscuits. And finally, folding the layers of dough. By folding the dough in thirds twice while you're shaping them, the dough ends up loaded with buttery, flaky, tender layers. The layers give the biscuits the perfect light texture. Seriously, these biscuits are just perfect. Make them. You won't regret it!
The Best Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture, and toss to coat. Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until the dough comes together. (Be careful not to over-mix!) Pat the dough out to an even layer, about one inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough into thirds, as though you are folding a letter. Pat the dough out again until it is about one inch thick. Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold it in thirds again. Pat it out into a rectangle that is approximately one inch thick. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or small cup. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
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