Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups sifted Martha White flour or all-purpose flour

(sift before measuring)

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening

    or lard (makes the best biscuits)

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 440 degrees with rack in the middle. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. . Add shortening, coating it with flour, then rub between your fingertips until coarsely blended with some 1/2-inch lumps. Make a well in the flour mixture and then add buttermilk, stirring with a fork just until dough forms and holds together (it will be soft and sticky.)

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 8 to 10 times. Too much kneading leads to tough biscuits. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2-3/4 inch thick) and, using a fork dipped in flour, prick all the way through about every 1/2 inch.

Cat Head Biscuits

Cat Head Biscuits

They are, well, as big a s a cats head!

Here is the recipe: makes 6 biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and softened

4 tablespoons shortening cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (sub 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 1/4 cups milk, let sit 10 minutes)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 9 inch cake pan.

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Rub in butter and shortening, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Using a 1/2 cup measure or spring loaded ice cream scoop, transfer 6 heaping portions of dough into prepared pan. 

Placing 5 around the pan and 1 in the center.

Bake until golden and puffed,20-25 minutes. 

Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. 

Serve. 

Basic Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting procedure.
5. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.