Buttermilk Biscuits, Anyone?

In honor of the weekend, which is almost here, I thought I’d post the recipe for my favorite homemade buttermilk biscuits. I discovered this recipe sandwiched between 300+ pages of a wonderful book called The French Don’t Diet Plan. Please don’t be scared off by the word “plan” in the title. I realize that word can suggest this book is actually a “diet plan,” even if it’s being marketed as a “don’t diet plan.”

While I don’t recommend this book to the novice intuitive eater, I do recommend it to people who have truly made peace with food, and are looking to explore their palates even further. It offers a nice glimpse into the “French paradox,” and I find it a refreshing reminder of the importance of finding pleasure in eating. I also enjoy re-reading it after any particularly annoying experience of hearing someone tell me something is “fattening” or “caloric” or you-name-it.

Anyway, like the book or not (I really enjoyed the read, and many subsequent re-reads), these biscuits are sure to make any morning a good one. If you have time this weekend, I highly recommend you preheat your oven to 475 and enjoy the aroma that fills your home as these wonderful biscuits puff up in the oven.

“Somebody’s Buttermilk Biscuits”
Courtesy of The French Don’t Diet Plan

You’ll Need

2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a Large Mixing Bowl

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder). Then mix the wet ingredients (oil and buttermilk) into the dry ingredients. You can either stir them around with a wooden spoon, use a food processor, or knead it with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth. If your hands get a bit sticky from the wet dough, just dust a bit of flour on them. (NOTE: This dough is very wet! I usually add a tiny bit more flour to make it easier to handle. But don’t worry if the dough seems too wet. It probably isn’t).

Preheat the over to 475 degrees.

On a Cutting Board

Sprinkle with flour and set the dough on it. Knead it a few times to increase the fluffiness you can expect from the biscuits when they come out of the oven. The dough picks up flour from the board; make sure it takes on just enough to be soft but not sticky.

Form the dough into a round that’s about ½-inch thick. Use the open end of a small glass to cut the biscuits.

Dab the glass in flour periodically or it’ll get sticky from the wet flour on the inside of the dough. The biscuits don’t have to be perfectly round, and you can mold them into any shape you want. Put them in a 9-inch baking pan or large iron skillet so they’re snug one next to the other. Once they are all packed in, cut a sliver of butter to place over the top of each.

Bake for about 14 minutes (my oven runs “cool,” so they take a bit longer for me). When you smell them and the tops are golden, take them out and enjoy.