Buttermilk Biscuits, Bakery Style

Here is a recipe variation for buttermilk biscuits--they're perfect for breakfast or dinner!

Buttermilk Biscuits, Bakery Style
5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour (measured after sifting)
1½ Tb. baking powder
1 Tb. kosher flake salt (or 2½ tsp. table salt)
½ cup plus 2 Tb. packed shortening or butter, chilled
2 cups chilled buttermilk
3 Tb. unsalted butter, melted (optional)

Move oven rack to top third of oven. Heat oven to 500 F. Sift flour and measure out 5 cups of sifted flour. In large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add shortening or butter, coating in flour. Cut the butter or shortening into the flour until the butter is coarsely blended leaving pea-sized pieces. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. With a large spoon or fork, stir mixture quickly, just until it is blended and begins to form a sticky dough. If dough appears dry, add up to ¼ cup more buttermilk.

Turn dough onto floured surface. Using floured hands, knead briskly 8 to 10 times just until a cohesive ball of dough forms. Don’t handle the dough too much. Gently flatten dough with hands to even thickness. Using floured rolling pin, lightly roll dough to ¾-inch thickness. Using a fork dipped in flour, pierce dough completely through at ½-inch intervals, like you would with a pie crust. Flour a 2½- or 3-inch biscuit cutter. Cut biscuits without twisting the cutter, and arrange biscuits just barely touching each other on a baking sheet. You can gather the scraps and roll them out again, but the second batch of cutouts will be slightly tougher.

Place baking sheet on rack in upper third of oven. Bake at 500 F for 8 to 12 minutes until crusty and golden brown. Remove. Brush with melted butter (optional). Serve hot.

Tiffany's Notes:  I think I've made this recipe from the Family Cookbook before.  But, I guess I'm just used to the taste of our standard Buttermilk Biscuit recipe so I usually use that one! 

I made this recipe as written--with table salt and with butter flavored Crisco.  I probably only needed about a tablespoon of melted butter for the tops.  They came together nicely and were tender.  The bake time was longer in my oven--at least 12 minutes and maybe longer.  It made a large cookie sheet worth of biscuits (maybe about 18-20?).

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