Southern Biscuits
- 12 ounces of White Lily flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces of chilled lard
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup more if necessary
- Flour
- Weigh out 12 ounces of flour and put it in a sifter.
- Add the baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- Sift all into a bowl.
- Weigh out 3 ounces of chilled lard and break it into 1- inch chunks.
- Cut the lard into the flour with 2 knives or a pastry cutter.
- Fold in the buttermilk in 3 parts.
- ( Use 1/4 cup more buttermilk if necessary.)
- Only fold in the buttermilk until it's just blended.
- Work lightly.
- Lightly dust the table with flour.
- (Use as little flour as possible) Work the dough with fingertips only until it just holds together.
- Roll out dough 1/2-inch thick.
- Dip biscuit cutter in flour and punch out 12 biscuits.
- Don't use a glass to punch out the biscuits and don't twist the cutter.
- You need a clean cut that doesn't compress the dough so the biscuits will rise easily.
- You can stack scraps and roll them out in order to cut more biscuits.
- Put biscuits on ungreased baking sheet.
- Put the biscuits close together but not touching.
- If they're too close, the edges won't cook and the biscuits will have a cakey texture - too far apart and they'll brown too soon and be raw in the middle.
- Bake at 450 degrees.
- Until tops are golden brown, about 15 to 17 minutes.
flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, lard, buttermilk, flour
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southern-biscuits-recipe.html (may not work)