Southern Biscuits
(from home4edu’s recipe box)
http://altonbrown.com/southern-biscuits-recipe/
Source: Alton Brown (from RecipeThing user Fluff)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 8 people
Categories: breads
Ingredients
- 2 C flour (12 oz) + some for dusting
- 4 t baking powder
- 1/4 t baking soda
- 3/4 t salt
- 2 T butter (1 oz)
- 4 T shortening (2 oz)
- 1 C buttermilk, chilled
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingertips or pastry cutter, rub butter and shortening in to dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (Move quickly so the butter doesn’t melt.)
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Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just enough for the dough to come together. The dough will be very sticky.
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Turn dough onto a floured surface. Dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times.
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Press into a 3/4-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, pushing straight down. Do not twist. Place biscuits on a baking sheet so that they just touch.
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Reroll scraps and punch out as many biscuits as possible.Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible, and continue cutting.
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Use your thumb to create a shallow dimple in the top center of each biscuit**, and bake until the biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the biscuits out into a kitchen towel-lined basket and let cool for several minutes before buttering and devouring.