Buttermilk Biscuits

Steps

1. 1Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. 2Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
3. 3In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder until well combined.
4. 4Grate in the frozen butter (or cut it in with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, I find grating faster and easier) and mix it together gently.
5. 5Pour in the buttermilk and stir until the dough starts to come together. It will be very shaggy with lots of loose flour, that’s okay.
6. 6Dump the mixture out onto a lightly floured counter. It won’t really look like a cohesive dough at this point. That’s okay, you don’t want to overwork the dough so don’t worry about it!
7. 7With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a rough rectangle, about one inch thick. Lift one end up and fold it in half. It will fall apart, just pick up all the bits and pieces and put them on top.
8. 8Turn the dough a quarter turn and press it out into a one inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this folding and turning process 5-6 times, at which point your dough will be more cohesive, and not crumbling all over the place anymore. Add a bit more flour underneath and on your hands if it gets too sticky.
9. 9Press the dough out one last time into a one inch thick rectangle. Cut it into squares with a knife, making sure to cut straight down and not slide or twist at all when you’re cutting, or use a biscuit cutter, but don’t twist it as this will seal the edges and they won’t rise well in the oven. I usually cut them into squares as it’s faster and there are no scraps to reshape then.
10. 10Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they are risen and lightly browned on top.