Southern Biscuits
This recipe yields classic Southern Biscuits, emphasizing technique for a light, flaky texture. Cold fats are cut into dry ingredients, then gently combined with chilled buttermilk to form a sticky dough. After minimal folding and shaping, biscuits are cut and baked until tall and golden, perfect for any meal.
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 2-inch Biscuit Cutter
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Measuring Cups
- 1 Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
Main
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
The hallmark of great Southern biscuits is flakiness, achieved primarily by maintaining cold fats. Ensure your butter and shortening are well-chilled before mixing. When incorporating them, work quickly with your fingertips to create pea-sized crumbs; this prevents the fats from melting and allows them to create steam pockets in the oven. Likewise, handle the dough minimally after adding buttermilk. Overworking develops gluten, resulting in tough biscuits. Placing biscuits so they just touch on the baking sheet helps them rise taller and creates softer sides. For an enhanced golden crust, brush the tops with a little melted butter before baking.