Okay, so I set out to make 20 biscuits today. I’ve made biscuits before, but getting them just right, consistently, is always the trick, isn’t it?
First, I gathered all my ingredients. You know, the usual suspects: flour, baking powder, salt, butter (cold, cold, cold!), and buttermilk. I made sure I had everything measured out before I even started. That’s key, I think, to not messing things up halfway through.
Mixing Mayhem
I dumped the dry ingredients into a big bowl and whisked them together. Nothing fancy, just making sure it was all evenly distributed. Then came the fun part – cutting in the butter. I used a pastry blender, because, well, that’s what you’re supposed to use. My grandma always used two knives, but I’m not that coordinated.
I worked the butter into the flour until it looked like coarse crumbs. You don’t want to overdo it, because that’s how you end up with tough biscuits. Nobody wants a tough biscuit.
- Then I create the buttermilk,I poured it.
- Stirred it.
- Don’t overmix! That’s another biscuit sin.
Shaping and Baking
I turned the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently patted it out. No rolling pin needed – that would be too much work for the gluten, and again, tough biscuits. I used a biscuit cutter (a glass works in a pinch) to cut out my 20 biscuits. I had to re-pat the scraps a couple of times to get them all.
I placed the biscuits on a baking sheet – I like to use parchment paper because I’m lazy and hate scrubbing pans – and popped them into a preheated oven. My oven runs a little hot, so I always keep a close eye on them.
After about 12-15 minutes, they were golden brown and beautiful. I pulled them out and let them cool for just a bit before I slathered one with butter and jam. Success! Twenty (mostly) perfect biscuits.
They were so delicious.
