½cupcold buttercubed (that's 8 tablespoons or 1 stick)
⅔cupbuttermilkplus 2-4 tablespoons extra as needed
1tablespoonmelted butterto brush on the baked biscuits
Instructions
Prep:Heat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet.
Mix dry ingredients:Add flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and combine very well.
Cut in butter:Add cold butter cubes to dry ingredients and cut in (using a pastry cutter or your hands) until crumbs forms.
Finish dough:Add buttermilk, then stir only a few times until no dry flour remains. Add a few more tablespoons buttermilk if dough seem dry. Do not overwork as you stir! Dough should feel very sticky. Immediately turn out on a floured surface.
Cut biscuits:Using slightly damp fingers, press dough to 1 inch thickness (it will seem very thick, but 1 inch is correct). Cut into ~2 inch circles using a biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking sheet. Push dough scraps together and flatten with fingers to cut out more biscuits.
Bake:Bake in hot oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Do not overbake, or biscuits will be dry. Immediately brush with melted butter and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Baking tips
use well chilled butter and buttermilk straight out of the fridge for best results
stir the biscuit dough just until combined; scraggly and messy dough makes the fluffiest biscuits
use a sharp biscuit cutter, a dull one will yield flatter biscuits that don't rise properly during baking; try not to twist the biscuit cutter to get a straight cut
Ingredient substitutions
Buttermilk: Combine ⅔ cup regular milk with ½ teaspoon white vinegar (or lemon juice) stirred in if you don't have any buttermilk. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes, then stir again before using.
Butter: Feel free to use shortening in place of the butter.
Storage
Biscuits should be eaten shortly after baking, while still warm. They do keep wrapped in a clean tea towel at room temperature for a day, but they do get increasingly dry.