The warmth, the coziness the yumminess of Buttermilk Biscuits. I swoon. Before making these I didn't think they would be so easy to whip up (uhhh knead?). But the lovely Sarah Carey from the Youtube Channel Everyday Food made them irresistible so I had to give them a try. Are they easy to make? Yes. Do they taste way better than any restaurant version you have ever tasted? I bet they do. That's all you need to know in advance, people.

This recipe comes form the Martha Stewart site but to make life easier and based on what I already had on hand I made some small changes. Since I didn't have any buttermilk I replaced it with heavy cream (yum). No food processor? No worries, most of us don't so use a blender. Yep, this will literally perform the exact same job. The only thing to keep in mind is to add the dry ingredients and the very (I mean, very, VERY) cold butter that has been cut into cubes, in small batches. This is to allow the blender to have space to properly perform the job that the food processor would have done. After all, we are adding flour with no liquid to help it do the "blending" with. As you would with the processor, pulse the mixture until it is the texture of course sand. Leave pea sized pieces of butter in there too. When the butter melts in the oven it helps with the layers and the flakiness of the biscuits.

To create those flaky layers another thing I did was roll the dough, fold it over, roll and fold over once more. I repeated this about 3 times. Of course, you want to work fast as we don't want the butter to melt yet. If it begins to do so, pop the dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes then proceed once chilled.

I cut the rounds with a biscuit cutter, (you can use a cup, no special equipment necessary) and then put them in the freezer for 5 minutes because the dough should be very cold before going in the oven (and with the heat of the kitchen it was softening a bit). I then brushed them with melted salted butter for an extra layer of savoriness. My, did this make them taste incredibly decadent.

Buttermilk biscuit dough cut with a biscuit cutter

These biscuits are ideal to have during breakfast, to take on your next picnic (summer is coming along so loads of those coming soon, I imagine) and with coffee or tea. Here everybody loves them and with good reason. I do limit myself to making them once a month though.

Buttermilk Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour (sift then measure), + more for rolling and cutting
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes, + 4 tablespoons salted (melted)
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk (I used Heavy Cream)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt to combine.
In a food processor or blender add dry ingredients and cold butter; pulse until mixture is the texture of coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add buttermilk (or heavy cream); pulse just until dough is moistened, 2 to 3 times.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead just to combine (do not overwork). Roll with a floured rolling pin (or pat with hands) to a 1-inch thickness. Fold once and roll again. Repeat this 3 times (working fast).
Cut out rounds with a floured 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter or cup.
Transfer to a baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. (Reroll and cut scraps only once). Brush top and sides of rounds with melted salted butter. Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden, 15 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with jam or anything you want.