BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

There are a lot of buttermilk biscuit recipes out there; this is the one I use. It comes from my "Baking Illustrated" cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. In this recipe they provide instructions for making the biscuits completely by hand or with the use of a food processor, so I hope you don't get confused by the dual-instructions written below.

I am adding the flour weight into the recipe for those of you who weigh out your flour when baking. It is a good habit to get into for accuracy's sake, but not completely necessary if you do not own a kitchen scale.

Make sure your butter is good and cold! It makes a big difference in producing nice layers in the biscuit. We like to eat these biscuits for breakfast covered in butter and jam or honey. We also use them for chicken à la king.

1 cup (5 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz.) plain cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tb. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, or 3/4 cup plus 2 Tb. plain yogurt

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or process with six 1-second pulses. 

If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips to quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food processor, remove the cover and distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses.

If making by hand, stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula or fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball. If using a food processor, remove the cover and pour the buttermilk evenly over the dough. Process until the dough gathers into moist clumps, about eight 1-second pulses.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form into a rough ball. Be careful not to overmix. Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, divide the dough in quarters and then cut each quarter into thirds. Quickly and gently shape each piece into a rough ball, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)

Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.