Buttermilk biscuits

Once upon a time, when I blogged about making biscuits and gravy, a friend commented that their biscuits went "from good to great" when they started making a buttermilk biscuit recipe. Our biscuits were OK- certainly good enough to be drowned with gravy before eating- so I didn't change the tried-and-true recipe.

Well, in this new kitchen, I've been wanting to cook like crazy, and yesterday morning I decided to make the jump. These biscuits turned out not only gravy-worthy, but jelly-worthy, soft and fluffy and better than any biscuits I've made before. I was delighted.

First, as you may know, I don't cook anything if I don't have the ingredients on hand. It is very rare that I go out & buy something to complete a recipe. I have to really be craving it. Anyway, this was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I used what was on hand- and that meant, no buttermilk.
How to make buttermilk:

1 T lemon juice (or vinegar. Basically, something acidic) for each cup milk. Let stand a few minutes, then stir and use in the recipe.

Now, on to the biscuit recipe:

2 C flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2 n pieces
3/4 C buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly (I use my hands to do this, primarily because I've never figured out how to use a pastry cutter.) Make a well in the mixture and pour buttermilk in. Mix quickly, until a (very) sticky dough forms. Turn onto a generously-floured surface & fold over on itself 3 or 4 times (to make layers!) Roll to 3/4 in think. Cut biscuits. Put dimples in the tops of the biscuits to aid in even rising. Brush with butter (I forgot this part.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I made about 9 good-sized biscuits. Like I said, these are soft & fluffy- smother them with butter, jelly, gravy, whatever you prefer. Definitely worth trying, though.