Memes Biscuits
- 2 cups White Lily or other Southern all-purpose flour (see page 206), or cake flour (not self-rising), more for rolling out
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits and chilled
- 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 500F.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
- Pour in the buttermilk, and gently mix until just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead lightly, using the heel of your hand to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself.
- Give the dough a small turn and repeat 8 or so times.
- (Its not yeast bread; you want to just barely activate the gluten, not overwork it.)
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut out rounds of dough with a 2 1/4-inch round cutter dipped in flour; press the cutter straight down without twisting so the biscuits will rise evenly when baked.
- Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet or in an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
- If the biscuits are baked close together the sides will be moist.
- If the biscuits are baked further apart, the sides will be crisp.
- Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a rack to cool just slightly.
- Serve warm.
- If I dont feel like rolling out biscuits, or just want a different texture, I tweak the recipe by adding more buttermilk to the dough and make drop biscuits: use 3 cups of flour2 for the dough and 1 cup placed in a bowl to shape the dough into biscuits.
- Increase the buttermilk to 2 cups.
- The dough will be very wet and resemble cottage cheese.
- To form the biscuits into balls, scoop up some dough with a large ice cream scoop; place the dough balls in the bowl with the 1 cup of flour.
- Working one at a time, roll the balls to coat in flour, then set in an ungreased 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
- The baking time will be the same as for cut biscuits.
white lily, baking powder, salt, cold unsalted butter, buttermilk
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/meme-s-biscuits-380417 (may not work)