Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

None were Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits, though we loved them just the same. We especially liked the ones from the can that had a million layers.  My brothers and sisters and I would spread butter in between each layer and let it melt.

Then we would peel off each layer and eat them one at a time.  Yeah, those were healthy good times ;)  If our biscuits didn’t come from a can, then we’d get some fresh made drop biscuits from a box.  Of course, they were simply just another vehicle for butter and we loved them as well.

Then a breakfast restaurant opened up in our neighborhood and I remember ordering my first, made from scratch, Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuit.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt see note
• 2 Tablespoons salted or unsalted butter (cold and cut into cubes)
• 2 Tablespoons shortening I use non-hydrogenated
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• extra buttermilk for brushing tops

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Using a pastry blender or your finger tips, quickly cut shortening into flour mixture until combined.
• After you've cut in the shortening, cut cold butter into the flour mixture until you have various sizes no larger than peas. (See picture within post to see how this should look.) This should also take less than a minute. You want your butter to stay cold so work quickly.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the buttermilk.
• Working from the outside in, bring the flour into the center with a large spoon, scooping and turning bowl until the buttermilk is incorporated into the flour. Use a light hand here. We're not vigorously stirring, but simply gently tossing the flour together with the buttermilk until it's combined.
• Turn the wet sticky dough out onto a well floured surface. Keep a small pile of extra flour on hand to add to your surface or your hands as needed. You'll see in the video that I'm pretty liberal about using the flour in this step.
• Flour your hands and bring dough together, then lightly fold it in half in a gentle kneading motion.
• Do this about 10-11 times until your dough comes together and is beginning to feel smooth.
• Pat dough into a rectangle or square just under an inch thick.
• For full instructions please see : www.themerchantbaker.com

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