Perfect Buttermilk Biscuit

PERFECT BUTTERMILK BISCUIT

12 Preparation Time :

Categories : Breads Breakfast

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -- -- --

1/2 c Shortening

2 1/4 c Flour

2 1/2 ts Baking powder

1/2 ts Baking soda

1 tb Sugar

1/2 ts Salt

1 1/4 c Buttermilk

Place shortening in small plastic food bag. Flatten

shortening between plastic sheets so it is thin and return to freezer. This allows shortening to become

hard enough to break, into tiny pieces when added to

2 pieces wax paper about inches long and place on counter, Sift flour, baking

powder, baking soda, sugar and salt onto wax paper.

Place empty sifter on top of bare sheet of wax paper,

lift sheet of wax paper holding sifted dry ingredients

by sides and pour through sifter, sifting onto bare

wax paper. Sift back and forth 3 times, then sift once

more into large mixing bowl. Remove shortening from

freezer. Cut into small bits, about 1/4-inch square.

Drop shortening bits into bowl of dry ingredients and,

using fingertips, lightly rub shortening and flour

together, occasionally tossing flour mixture so you

touch all particles of shortening with flour. When

mixture has bits of flour-covered shortening

throughout, begin adding buttermilk. Using fork, add

buttermilk, lightly stirring to mix with dry

ingredients. Cover board or surface with dusting of

flour. Gather sticky mass of dough and place on

floured surface. Dust hands with flour and gently

knead dough, adding enough flour only to make dough

manageable. Pat dough with hands or roll with floured

1/2-inch thick. Using 2-inch

cutter, cut out biscuits and place touching each other

in 3 rows, in center of greased baking sheet. Place on

425-degree oven and bake

12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and serve hot

or warm. Makes 19 (2-inch round) biscuits. **NOTE::By

Marion Cunningham Thanks to Eula Mae Dore, a great

Southern cook from Avery Plantation, La., I've learned

to make the best Buttermilk Biscuits I've ever had.

Eula Mae says a good biscuit is one of the best things

to have on hand for quick meals. She uses them in

emergencies to make simple sandwiches filled with

scraps of ham or cheese and serves them with pickles

and a small salad. For dessert, she warms a biscuit or two and makes a shortcake with fresh fruits or berries. She has convinced me that you can't have too

many biscuits on hand. Eula Mae learned to cook and bake from her grandmother, not from cookbooks, and the

artfulness of her preparation was a joy to watch. Here

are some of her biscuit-making tips:

First go out

and replace your baking powder, unless you bought it

within the last four months. More baking flops occur

from old, tired baking powder than from any other

cause. And don't rely on the old test of checking the

freshness of baking powder by putting a spoonful in a

glass of water to see if it fizzes. Baking powder,

like a carbonated drink, can fizz a little and still

be almost flat. Buying new baking powder costs very

little when you consider the cost of baking failures.

Next, Eula Mae insists that sifting the dry

ingredients four times is the reason her biscuits are

perfect. I tested the recipe sifting and not sifting

and, indeed, sifting does make a slightly higher, more

tender biscuit.

After you cut the biscuit dough, put

the pieces on a baking sheet upside down. This ensures

a taller, lighter biscuit by making sure any edges

crimped by the pressure of the cutting don't interfere

with the rise. (The French use the same trick when

making puff pastry.)

The tip that helped me the most

was using less flour than usual. Eula Mae's dough was

soft and sticky. She handled it gently, dusting her

hands and the dough with only enough flour to make the

dough manageable. The result was a lighter biscuit. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -