I used to really
enjoy hot fresh homemade buttermilk biscuits. Split one open
and spread some fresh butter (actually, we always used
margarine), or slip in a fresh sausage patty. There's nothing
better!
After I learned to make them I also enjoyed just getting my
hand dirty as I kneaded the dough. Kids have fun in the
strangest way. Anyway, here is how my grandma used to make
them. I don't think the store-bought, canned biscuits will
ever even begin to compare.
Sift the flour to
make sure there are no lumps. Add in the baking powder, salt,
and baking soda. Add the Crisco slowly, working it into the
dry ingredients. You can use a large spatula or spoon, but I
preferred using my hands.
Next add the buttermilk, working it into the mixture too.
After everything is thoroughly mixed, plop it down on a
floured counter top or cutting board.
Turn you oven to 450 to allow it to preheat. While it's
heating up knead your dough until it is about the consistency
of clay that kids play with in grade school. You can make it a
little dryer if need be by sprinkling more flour on your
counter or cutting board. As you knead your dough it will pick
up more of the flour.
After you have it the right consistency you can shape your
biscuits by hand or using a cookie cutter. I preferred
pinching off a chunk, rolling it into a ball, and then patting
it a little flat. It takes a little practice to get you
biscuits all about the same size. If you want them more
perfect, you can roll out your dough using a rolling pin and
then cut them with a round cookie cutter. That would look
neater when you have company over.
Anyway, place you biscuits on a cookie sheet that is either
lightly greased or lightly sprinkled with flour. If you use
the flour option, be sure not to put too much.
Bake these biscuits for roughly 18 minutes on the middle rack
in your oven (depends upon how hot your oven is and how far
this rack is from the top). If the rack is too low you can
move the biscuits to the top rack the last minute of so to get
them browned just the way you want. Leave them on the middle
rack and thy should turn out lightly browned.
Pop them out of the over and eat them while still piping hot.
That's the only way to get the butter to melt just right.
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