Biscuits (Buttermilk, Frozen Grated Butter)

Biscuits….

Ahhhhh. Let’s just say there is no way to offer the world’s best biscuit recipe, because there are at least five types of perfect biscuits:

Small/thin/tender
Small/layered/crunch-and-meltaway
Medium/drop/spiky-crunchy/tender
Large/puffy/soft (or, ahem, doughy)
Large/layered/tender

What to do? They used to be best with LARD – I’m not kidding. Now butter seems to be the real-est taste and, handled correctly, with buttermilk still a main player, butter biscuits can be touchingly tender. Here is a recipe, taken from Kitchen Savvy, for biscuits made with frozen grated butter. These are the favorite of the biscuit-eater at my house. The picture shows what mine look like.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup butter, frozen
7 fl. oz. buttermilk (that’s 7/8 of a cup; a full cup measure is 8 ounces)

Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Measure and set aside the cold buttermilk.
3. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen butter into shards. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and then toss with a spoon just to blend, breaking up any clumps of butter that may have formed during the grating. Do not over mix.
4. Pour in the buttermilk and stir in with a spoon, just until the ingredients pull together. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently, just a few turns, to bring it together into a single mass. If necessary add a bit more buttermilk or some water.
5. Shape the dough into a rough circle and cut into wedges, or roll out and cut to any desired shape.
6. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with cooking spray and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 to 12 large or 16 – 29 small biscuits.