BUTTERY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

BUTTERY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS image

Yield 15 biscuits

Number Of Ingredients 12

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2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter-10 tabelspoons cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled. 2 tabelspoons melted
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
SWEET LEMON-POPPY
Whisk 1/4 cup sugar with the dry ingredients. Stir in the grates zest of 1 lemon and 1 tabelspoon poppy seeds just before adding the buttermilk.Sprinkle with sugar.
CRANBERRY-WALNUT
Stir in 1 minced, sauteed shallot along with 1/2 cup each chopped dried cranberries and chopped toasted walnuts and a pinch of pepper just before adding the buttermilk
HERB-GRUYERE
Stir in 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves.1/2 teaspoon chopped sage leaves and 1 cup Gruyere cheese just before adding the cold buttermilk.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and position a rach in the lower third of the oven.In a large shallow bowl.Wish the flour.baking powder,baking soda, and fine salt. Add the chilled butter and usea pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk just until the dough is moistened.Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Then turn the dough out onto the surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes togeather.Pat the dough into 1/2-inch disk. 2. Using afloured 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, stamp out biscuit rounds as closel togeather as possable. Gather the scraps and knead them togeather 2 or three times . Then flatten the dough and stamp out more biscuit rounds.Pat the remaining scraps togeather and gently press into a biscuit. 3. Transfer the biscuits to a large baking sheet and brush the tops with the melted butter. Lightly sprinkel the biscuits with a few grains of flaky salt and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. 4. Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes or until golden. Let the biscuits cool slightly on the baking sheet before serving. MAKE AHEAD The unbaked biscuits can be frozen: Freeze the biscuits in a single layer and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 month. Bake stright from the freezer, adding few minutes to the cooking time.