The Better Buttermilk Biscuit

dAs I stood in my kitchen looking at carton of leftover buttermilk wondering how I was going to use it before it hit the expiration date, I started thinking of Ms. Paula Dean and thought a batch of buttermilk biscuits would be perfect. 

Since the kitchen counters in my household are tile, dusting the surface with flour makes clean up impossible (have you tried getting flour out of all those little crevices?). I chose to get crafty by covering  a portion of my table with plastic wrap—the less time I spend scrubbing kitchen surfaces the happier I am. 

 

I quickly learned that it really isn't about the ingredients used or even the recipe. A successful batch of buttermilk biscuits is dependent on the way you handle the dough. The less you touch it, the softer and flakier it will be.  

Make sure to have a lot of extra flour on hand for your surface and hands because the dough is wet and sticky when you first start working it. 

 

I decided to cut my biscuits into squares (and squarish like shapes) because it means less dough goes to waste. Also I don't have a fancy biscuit cutter with ruffled edges, so I didn't have any other option than to keep it simple. 

My favorite ways to eat biscuits: honey and butter/ egg and cheese sandwich/ turkey and cranberry sandwich/ plain and hot out the oven/ with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top/ with a cup of tea/ with a slice of avocado.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

4¼ cups flour

2 tbspn baking powder

½ tspn baking soda

2 tspn salt

14 tbspn cold butter

2½ cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Cut butter into chunks and mix into dry mixture with hands until you create a meal texture is created
3. Add in the butter milk and mix just until dry ingredients are incorperated
4. Turn the dough out on a floured surface 
5. Pat dough out until it is ½ inch thick (do not roll or knead)
6. Fold dough 4 times and press into 1 inch thick square
7. Cut into 3x3 squares