AIRY ANGEL BISCUITS

Airy Angel Biscuits image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes forty-eight 1 1/2-inch biscuits

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, for brushing
2 cups buttermilk
Country ham, for serving
Brooke's Mustard Dip, for serving

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. Transfer half of the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and cut in the cold butter, pulsing, until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces of butter still remaining. Transfer the mixture back to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the yeast mixture and buttermilk. Stir until a dough forms and turn out onto a floured board. Kneed until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, and cut out 1 1/2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Set the biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, brush the tops with melted butter, and bake until lightly golden (they should not brown), 10 to 12 minutes.