Homemade biscuits are a delightful addition to any meal, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Here’s a simple recipe for making fluffy and buttery biscuits from scratch:
### Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional, for a hint of sweetness)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, very cold (plus a bit more for brushing the tops)
### Instructions
#### Preparing the Dough
1. **Preheat Oven**: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. **Combine Dry Ingredients**: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar (if using).
3. **Cut in the Butter**: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter.
4. **Add Buttermilk**: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix; the dough should be slightly sticky and shaggy.
#### Shaping the Biscuits
5. **Turn Out the Dough**: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
6. **Fold the Dough**: Fold the dough in half, then in half again, and pat it out into another rectangle. Repeat this folding process 2-3 times. This helps create flaky layers in the biscuits.
7. **Cut the Biscuits**: Pat the dough out to about 3/4 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or a floured glass to cut out the biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting to ensure they rise evenly. Re-roll any scraps and cut out more biscuits.
#### Baking the Biscuits
8. **Place on Baking Sheet**: Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, close together for soft sides or further apart for crispier sides.
9. **Brush with Buttermilk**: Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little bit of buttermilk to help them brown.
10. **Bake**: Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
#### Serving
11. **Serve Warm**: Serve the biscuits warm with butter, jam, honey, or gravy.
### Tips
- **Cold Ingredients**: Ensure your butter and buttermilk are very cold. This helps create flaky layers in the biscuits.
- **Handling the Dough**: Be gentle with the dough. Overworking it can make the biscuits tough.
- **Variations**: For cheesy biscuits, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the flour mixture. For herb biscuits, add 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or thyme.
