|
Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), chilled
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or milk)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt,
cream of tartar and sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Cut the
butter into cubes (cut the 1 stick of butter into about 4
pieces and the 1/2 stick into 2 pieces) and add to the flour
mixture. With a
pastry blender or two
knives (pastry blenders are easier), cut up butter to mix in with flour mixture until
mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Make a
well in the center of the flour mixture and add buttermilk
to
well. Stir quickly with a fork just until dough follows the
fork around the bowl and dough is able to be formed into a
ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead the dough gently by
repeatedly folding into itself and pressing down (about
4-6 strokes), sprinkling flour over dough and on work
surface as necessary to help prevent sticking. Roll or pat the dough to a thickness of 3/4
inch.
Without twisting, cut biscuits
by pressing a biscuit cutter into the dough (2 1/2-inch
biscuit cutter is recommended). Cut biscuits close together
to minimize the need for re-rolling the dough scraps. To prevent the
cutter from sticking to the dough, dip it in flour before
each cut. After each cutting, lift cutter and gently and remove the biscuit from
the cutter by gently shaking into your hand (avoid touching
tops and sides of biscuits to help prevent dents). Place
biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake for
10-12 minutes, or until biscuits turn golden brown on top.
|
