By: The Appalachian Tale
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of Miller’s Choice Unbleached Flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup (1 stick) of salted butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup whole fat buttermilk (plus 1-2 tablespoons more if needed)
Flour for the board
Directions:
For extra flaky biscuits, it is important to have your ingredients cold and your oven hot. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubed, chilled butter, tossing to coat each piece of butter with the flour mixture. With your fingers, begin to pinch each cube of butter into flat sheets, pressing the flour into the butter as you go. Once all the butter cubes are flattened, make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Begin to stir the flour mixture into the buttermilk until well combined and you get a shaggy dough (lumps and pieces of dough). If there are small amounts of flour at the bottom of the bowl, add an additional tablespoon or two of buttermilk around the dough and continue to mix until it picks up the loose flour.
Dump the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured board or surface into a pile of dough pieces. Begin pressing or rolling the dough together to form a rectangle about 1 inch thick. With a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. With the bench scraper or a large spatula, pick up the outside sections and stack them on top of the middle section. Pick up any loose pieces of dough and put them on top. Press or roll the dough back down to about 1 inch thick. Cut into thirds again and repeat the stacking and pressing 2 more times. You will see the dough come together quickly, and you will see the layers you build into the dough. Press or roll the dough out the final time.
Cut your biscuits out with a biscuit cutter and place them, with sides touching, into a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet. When cutting, go straight down and back up with the cutter. Do not twist the cutter, as it can bind or twist the layers together and prevent the biscuits from rising fully. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Makes 8-10 biscuits, depending on the side of the cutter you use. Serve warm and store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat any leftovers in a 350-degree oven for approximately 5 minutes.
