Buttermilk Biscuits

I have been in the kitchen for almost as long as I can remember.  And I have loved it just as long!  I've had successes and failures, and they all balance out in the end.  People ask me if I get stressed when I have to cook for a large group.  Not really.  It makes me feel like I'm in the zone.  My happy place, if you will.  "What if it doesn't turn out", they ask.  Well, it's not rocket surgery (to coin a phrase from a current commercial).  It's just cooking.  I am comfortable and confident in what I do.  That allows me to just roll with the punches.  I am hoping that through this blog I can get you to that place, too.  Once you get the basics down, it's a piece of cake.

Biscuits are delicious.  When they are fresh from the oven, smothered in butter and jam, they are one of the best, simplest, tastes on earth.  Unfortunately, some people have trouble making them.  Overwork them and they become hockey pucks.  Who wants to eat that?  Because I love biscuits and I think everyone should enjoy them, I have decided they will star in today's blog.

Here's the recipe:
1/2 c cold butter, cut into cubes
2 c flour
1 TBLS sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 c buttermilk

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.  Whisk to mix.
(Pretty easy so far, right?)  Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter to blend it into the flour mixture.  If you don't have a pastry cutter, don't sweat it!  Just use 2 dinner knives and cut the butter into the flour mixture, using a criss-cross action.  The mixture should look like sand.

Make a well in the center of the flour, then pour in the buttermilk.  Use a fork to blend the buttermilk and the flour til it sticks together and begins to form a soft dough.  Mine doesn't usually get totally incorporated, so don't worry if yours doesn't.  Pour out the mixture onto a floured counter top.  Knead the remaining flour into the dough, but just barely.

Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll or pat the dough to 1/2 thickness.  An easy way to test the thickness is with your finger.  The dough should fit in the space between 2 of your knuckles.

Using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, or a regular glass, cut circles out of the dough.  (Resist the urge to twist as you cut!  Twisting will make the biscuits rise unevenly.)  You will get 10-12 circles.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet.  Allow the sides to touch if you like them soft.  Place them 1 inch apart if you like the edges crispy.  Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.  The biscuits will be slightly puffed and golden brown.

These biscuits are best served warm, and are just as delicious reheated in the microwave as they are straight from the oven.  Now, dig in and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Once you have down the basic recipe, it's a cinch to make variations: cheddar-garlic biscuits like they make at Red Lobster,  herbed biscuits to complement the soup or salad they'll be served with, and sweetened
to be used as a base for fruit shortcakes.