Classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Step 1

Slowly pour the buttermilk into the flour while tossing it together with a fork. The dough will look shaggy before you knead it.Gently knead the dough five or six times, just to bring it together. That’s all.Roll it out gently with a rolling pin or use your fingers to pat it into a circle about an inch thick.After cutting the biscuits, don’t knead the scraps again or the biscuits will be tough. Just bring the scraps together, form them into a biscuit shape, and go with a rustic look.The biscuits should be touching when you put them on the baking sheet. This helps them rise.The biscuits will be light-colored. The bottom will be darker, but it shouldn’t be crisp or hard. The biscuit should be a slight, just barely golden color on the top and easy to tear in half.Brush the biscuits with butter while they are still hot.

Step 2

Preheat and set up: Preheat the oven to 475°F. Place a little flour in a shallow dish and keep it next to your dough. Cut in the shortening: Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the shortening and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two forks until the shortening is covered in flour and the size of small peas. Alison Bickle Make the dough: Slowly pour the buttermilk around the bowl in circles, fluffing the flour with a fork as you go. Continue to stir with a fork until the flour is moistened and the dough looks shaggy. You will have some loose flour. That’s ok. Overworking the dough leads to dense biscuits. Alison Bickle Alison Bickle Knead the dough: Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently about 5 or 6 times. It will just come together. Use your hands to shape it into a 7-inch round that is an inch thick. Alison Bickle Alison Bickle Alison Bickle Cut the biscuits: Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter in the shallow dish with flour, then cut out the biscuits. Push straight down and lift up. Don’t twist. It can pinch the sides together and inhibit the rise. Gather the remaining dough pieces to form the last biscuit or two by hand; don’t knead, and roll out the dough again. Alison Bickle Bake the biscuits: Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so they are touching each other. Bake for 12 minutes until the biscuits have risen, spread a little, look bumpy on the surface, and are slightly golden and toasted. Alison Bickle Butter the biscuits: Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter. Remove the biscuits from the pan and place on a baking rack to cool. Or eat them immediately because hot biscuits are tasty and delicious. Alison Bickle