Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

This is one thing Danny had been begging me to make for the longest time. And frankly, right now, I cannot for the life of me think of why I never made them before. It isn't a difficult task, but I am Queen of the Procrastinators of America so ... that must be it. Yeah that's what it was ;)

The first time I attempted them I used the Betty Crocker recipe. And my little sister tried it a couple of times last summer I think. They were kind of dry, and me being the self-proclaimed baker, I thought I could do that same recipe and turn out way better biscuits. Yeh it didn't quite work out that way. I don't know what it was, maybe the fact that we didnt' have a bicuit cutter, the fact that I know I rolled them out way too thin, or that I tried throwing in some tricks I'd seen on the food network. Mind you this recipe was for Baking Powder biscuits. They turned out dry and well, my dad called them hockey pucks. They were pretty disappointing. I was pretty upset about it.

So I was determined that if ever I was to make them again, I'd look for a buttermilk biscuit recipe that could work better. And where we live, guess what?! They don't sell buttermilk! I kid you not! I have not been able to find buttermilk anywhere! Thank God for GOOGLE! I don't know if there goes a day where I dont' use GOOGLE, but man thank goodness. LOL! You can make your own! Just combine a TB of white wine vinegar per cup of milk! So I came across this recipe for buttermilk biscuits by Tyler Florence. And boy where these a hit! They were big - and still at this time we did not have a biscuit cutter, I used a glass - and moist and so flaky! They were delicious.

Tonights dinner menu was meatloaf, homemade mashed potatoes and corn with homemade buttermilk biscuits. Guess which recipe I used??? Yep, Mr. Florence's! And perhaps this time the difference was that I used a real bisuit cutter because I ended up with 15 biscuits rather than the recipe yield of 9!

We have 10 biscuits leftover. Nextime I just may have to cut the measurements in that recipe so I don't make too many biscuits. I hate to throw away food.

For those curious, here's the recipe I used:

Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:30 min
Cook Time:25 min
Level:Easy
Serves:9 biscuits

Ingredients:
•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

Directions

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 ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.