Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
“Now, buttermilk biscuits, here we go… sift the flour, roll the dough. Clap your hands and stomp your feet. Move your butt to the funky beat.” – Sir Mix-A-Lot
After a last minute decision to whip up some biscuits to go alongside a bowl of chili, I was reminded just how easy these little buggers are to make. The key… mess with them as little as possible. I like to use my hands to mix the fat into the flour. Mini Whipped liked it too. She sat on the counter and dug her little toddler hands in to help. We both ended up covered in white dust and giggling uncontrollably.
This Buttermilk Biscuit recipe is from Alton Brown and I wouldn’t alter it a smidgen. Hot out of the oven, lathered up with butter and honey, these flaky disks will satisfy every carb-craving inch of your body.
Hint: if you don’t have a biscuit cutter (like me) just use a glass to cut the biscuits. Or, cut out both top and bottom of a can that is the correct size you’ll have an instant biscuit cutter.
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
from Alton Brown, via foodnetwork.com
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)
Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.
This post just wouldn’t be complete without the Sir Mix-a-Lot reference. :) I’m waiting for cooler weather here in the East so I can bust out my favorite chili recipe…and I will definitely make these biscuits too.
God bless you for this one. Even a Memphis girl has a hard time finding a southern biscuit recipe she loves (third person ends now). I happen to have 4 pounds of lard in the fridge- I’m good to replace the shortening with that, right?
Oh, those look just like the ones my gradma used to make. Only she always used self-rising flower (and probably a lot more crisco than that!). Yum. Haven’t made any in ages.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a biscuit any time of day :) I know I’m a Yankee, but this is one thing I have embraced in southern culture! Just no sausage and gravy on top (yuck)– I’ll stick with butter and honey, or even jam, my favorite condiment :)
thank for beginning with Sir Mix A Lot. And thanks for ending with biscuits that a Southern girl approves of :).
those look pretty much perfect.
mmm that would be so good slathered on with marmalade and jam!
Oh my, those are gorgeous!
thanks for the recipe these look great!
could lard be a good substitute for the shortening? or no?
Are these truly light and fluffy? There’s nothing worse than a dry, hard biscuit.
Lard would definitely be wonderful!