Southern-Style Biscuits
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 2 cups Southern self-rising flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/4 cup packed ice-cold lard or vegetable shortening
- 2 tablespoons ice-cold unsalted butter, diced
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
- All-purpose flour for dusting (see Notes)
- Preheat the oven to 475F.
- Spray a rimmed baking sheet or 9-inch pan with the cooking spray.
- For light biscuits, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and sweep the back of a table knife across the top to level the flour and get an accurate measure.
- Place the flour in a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, baking soda, and salt and Whisk to blend.
- Scatter the lard and butter pieces over the top.
- Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the lard and butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with the bits of fat about the size of small peas.
- Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the buttermilk, stirring just to blend well.
- Dust a work surface with all-purpose flour and turn the dough out onto the prepared surface.
- Fold and pat the dough gently to build up the layers, making 5 or 6 turns, just until the dough holds together and can be rolled out, using as little additional flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking.
- Using your fingertips, gently press the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.
- Using a 2 1/2-inch, sharp-edged biscuit cutter, cut straight down without twisting the cutter to form biscuits.
- (If you twist the cutter the biscuits will be lopsided.)
- Reshape any remaining dough and out more biscuits.
- Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart for crusty-sided biscuits or almost touching for soft-sided biscuits.
- Bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm, or rewarm just before serving.
vegetable oil cooking spray, southern selfrising, sugar, baking soda, kosher, lard, butter, buttermilk, flour
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/southern-style-biscuits (may not work)