Light and fluffy and amazing just out of the oven. I love these with some melted butter and a drizzle of honey, but you can also use them as substitutes for buns or rolls in finger sandwiches and sliders.
The key here is to handle the dough as little as humanly possible. I’ve also used the food processor method, though if you’re more comfortable (or only equipped) with hand tools, use a pastry cutter, forks or a box grater as you see fit.
3 Cups all-purpose flour
4 tsps. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 Stick cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1-1/2 Cups buttermilk or substitute
2 Tbsp. sugar or honey
Preheat oven to 425°.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients to mix. Add butter chunks, and pulse to combine just until mix is the consistency of coarse meal with visible chunks of butter remaining. Add buttermilk and sugar or honey, and pulse again just until dough comes together.
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Working quickly to handle as little as possible, form into a rectangle, dusting top with flour, and folding in thirds (as you would a letter for an envelope). Flatten again into a rectangle, dust top with flour, flip upside-down, and repeat fold.
Repeat flattening, flouring and folding 3 more times. Finally, press dough out into a rectangle roughly 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick. Using a 2″ round cutter or the mouth of a juice glass or clean, dry tin can with top and and bottom removed, cut biscuits; re-roll scraps and pat and cut (again, handling as little as possible).
Place biscuits, sides just touching, on a buttered, greased, or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow biscuits to cool 2 minutes before serving warm, or on a baking rack cool the biscuits completely, place in an airtight container or ziplock bag, and refrigerate or freeze.
Note that it never hurts to brush the tops with melted butter before baking, after baking, or whenever the hell you feel like it. It’s butter and it’s biscuits and it’s all good, y’all!
