Southern buttermilk biscuits

Ingredients

• 375 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar (about 12 g)
• 1 tbsp baking powder (about 12–14 g)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 115 g cold unsalted butter, in small cubes
• 50 g shortening, such as Crisco (or swap for butter, see the tips)
• 300 ml whole buttermilk, well shaken
• Extra flour for dusting
• A little butter to grease the pan

Method

1. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (conventional). Lightly grease a cast iron skillet of about 20 cm across, or a similar baking dish, with butter.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk everything together well.
3. Add the cold butter. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips or use a pastry cutter, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Make sure small pieces of butter are still visible: they create the flaky layers as the biscuits bake.
4. Add the buttermilk. Pour the cold buttermilk into the flour mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until the dough just comes together. Don’t overmix! The dough can be a little sticky and uneven.
5. Shape the biscuits. Lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Gently press it out to about 2.5 cm thick. If you like, fold the dough over on itself 2–3 times for extra flaky layers. Cut out biscuits with a round cutter of about 6 cm. Press the cutter straight down without twisting.
6. Bake the biscuits. Place the biscuits close together in the greased skillet or baking dish. Bake for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until well risen and golden brown.
7. Serve warm. Take the biscuits out of the oven and brush the tops with a little melted butter if you like. Serve warm, with butter, honey, jam or a savoury filling.