JUDY'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup shortening plus 1 Tbs.
• 1/2 tsp. soda
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3/4-1 cup buttermilk (nonfat is fine)

Sift flour, soda, cream of tartar and sugar if desired, but it's not necessary. Otherwise, mix well. Add shortening and cut in with pastry cutter, 2 knives, or fingers. Pour in buttermilk to make dough that is not crumbly or sticky. I usually use 1 cup, unless the buttermilk is thin. Stir dough with a fork until mixed well.

Put dough out on floured surface, knead only 3 times, roll or pat out and cut with biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut out. Place in pan and bake in preheated 425 degree oven about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

DOWN-HOME BISCUITS
(Southern Buttermilk Biscuits)

• 2 cups soft winter wheat flour, such as White Lily, unsifted or
  1 3/4 cups regular all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in shortening until crumbly.

Make well in center of flour; pour in all buttermilk, tossing gently with fork until flour is just moistened. Do not overmix. Dough should be very sticky. Turn dough out onto floured surface; with floured hands, knead very lightly once or twice. Pat dough out evenly into 3/4" thick round. Cut out biscuits and place on ungreased baking sheet. Gather dough scraps and repat, cut out biscuits. Bake 12 minutes or until golden.

Variation: SPICY CHEDDAR AND SCALLION BISCUITS
Add 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup chopped scallions, and 1/4-1/2 tsp. hot red pepper to dry ingredients and mix well.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
from Cuisine Magazine

Tips for perfect biscuits: Use the right flour, keep the
dough moist, and don’t overwork it.

Combine:
2 cups self-rising flour
1-1/2 cups cake flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
Cut in:
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
Stir in:
2 cups buttermilk
Sift over Work Surface and Dough:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
Cut Biscuits with a 2-1/2" Cutter. Brush with:
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

MAKING THE BISCUITS

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Spray two 8" round pans with cooking spray. Combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and soda. With a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until shortening is no larger than the size of a big pea.

Stir in the buttermilk completely with a wooden spoon. Let stand 2–3 minutes. The dough will be very wet.

Sift 1/4 cup all-purpose flour onto the work surface. “Turn out” the dough onto the floured work surface.

Sift remaining flour over dough. Flour hands. Turn and fold dough over several times in flour and gently pat to 3/4" thick. Using a floured 2-1/2" cutter, cut dough into rounds --don’t twist! With a spatula, place cut biscuits into pans (6 per pan).

Gently reroll scraps. Don’t overwork the dough or add additional flour. Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter.

Bake 15 minutes, or until tops are golden. Serve right away. I guarantee, these biscuits will make you go “white-eyed!”

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
by Marion Cunningham from Bakers Dozen

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

Preheat the oven to 450.

Grease on 8-inch square baking pan or small baking sheet.

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetable shortening and toss it to coat with the flour. Break the chunk into 5 or 6 smaller chunks and start rubbing the flour and shortening together with your fingers and letting the mixture fall back into the bowl. This does not take long; when the mixture looks like irregular lumps you have mixed enough.

Add the milk all at once and stir to moisten all the flour and shortening. Dust a surface with flour, turn the dough onto the surface and knead the dough ten times.

Pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut the biscuits with a two-inch cookie cutter and place on the prepared pan with a little space between the biscuits.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.

Serve hot with butter and honey.

White Lily "Light"" Biscuits

• 2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour
• 1./2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup buttermilk or more as needed

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Measure flour into bowl by spooning into cup and leveling off. Cut in shortening until like coarse crumbs. Blend in just enough milk with fork until dough leaves sides of bowl. Too much makes dough too sticky to handle and too little makes biscuits dry.

Knead gently on lightly floured surface a few times.

Roll dough about 1/2" thick. Cut without twisting cutter. Bake on ungreased baking sheet.

NOTES : Always handle dough gently and use as little extra flour for kneading and rolling as possible for tender biscuits.

BUTTERMILK CHIVE BISCUITS
by Marion Cunningham from Bakers Dozen

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork to blend and mix well. Add the butter and, using you fingers as a pastry blender, work the butter and flour together until the mixture looks like irregular crumbs.

Add the buttermilk and the chives. Mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Gather the dough into a ball, pressing it to hold together and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly about 12 times. Pat the dough into a circle, keeping it about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick.

Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut rounds and place on a baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.

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