Grandma's (Handmade) Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Try these with some of my wild berry jelly!!
I used to really enjoy hot fresh homemade buttermilk
biscuits. Split one open and spread some fresh butter
(actually, we always used margerine), or slip in a
fresh sausage patty. There's nothing better!
After I learned to make them I also enjoyed just getting
my hand dirty as I kneaded the dough. Kids have fun in
the strangest way. Anyway, here is how my grandma used
to make them. I don't think the store-bought, canned
biscuits will ever even begin to compare.
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
Sift the flour to make sure there are no lumps. Add in
the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the
Crisco slowly, working it into the dry ingredients.
You can use a large spatula or spoon, but I preferred
using my hands.
Next add the buttermilk, working it into the mixture
too. After everything is thoroughly mixed, plop it
down on a floured counter top or cutting board.
Turn you oven to 450 to allow it to preheat. While
it's heating up knead your dough until it is about
the consistency of clay that kids play with in
grade school. You can make it a little dryer
if need be by sprinkling more flour on your
counter or cutting board. As you knead your dough
it will pick up more of the flour.
After you have it the right consistency you can
shape your biscuits by hand or using a cookie
cutter. I preferred pinching off a chunk, rolling
it into a ball, and then patting it a little flat.
It takes a little practice to get you biscuits all
about the same size. If you want them more perfect,
you can roll out your dough using a rolling pin and
then cut them with a round cookie cutter. That
would look neater when you have company over.
Anyway, place you biscuits on a cookie sheet that
is either lightly greased or lightly sprinkled with
flour. If you use the flour option, be sure not to
put too much.
Bake these biscuits for roughly 18 minutes on the
middle rack in your oven (depends upon how hot
your oven is and how far this rack is from the
top). If the rack is too low you can move the
biscuits to the top rack the last minute of so
to get them browned just the way you want. Leave
them on the middle rack and thy should turn out
lightly browned.
Pop them out of the over and eat them while still
piping hot. That's the only way to get the butter
to melt just right.
Enjoy!
Buttermilk Bisquits
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands
until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in
the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands,
quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until
a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the
dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the
dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch
biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an non-greased cookie sheet
and brush the tops with buttermilk.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.