Buttermilk Biscuits

Yup. It's been five months since my last post. And so much has happened since those crispy fish tacos graced my table! In May, I finished all my classes that I'll ever take at Pepperdine. I spent months planning a move and gathering all my dissertation data, finishing up countless reports at work, and enjoying the last weeks of California sunshine. Then I went through the painful process of saying goodbye to my dear friends on the west coast and moved halfway across the country to Springfield, Missouri. In August, I started internship at the coolest place ever. I've gotten used to this new town, made new friends, watched several dear friends and family members get married. I've traveled by plane and road trip, spent weekends in Chicago (still my favorite place), packed and unpacked only to pack up again. And in the midst of it all, I've made some great food!

But it's gonna take me awhile to catch up on here. So for at least the next several posts, I'll be sharing with you recipes I made throughout the summer (and even before). And here's the first one ... a tried and true and delicious recipe for buttermilk biscuits. Eat them with jam, bacon, melted butter ... ah! I've tried so many different biscuit recipes, and none have worked as well as this one. Some turn out hard and puck-like, others get a weird color as they bake, and yet others taste bland and flour-y. But this one, oh this one, the fluffiness, the butteriness. It's too good, you gotta try it! (as shared here)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, very cold
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and cut into the flour until course.
4. Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Don't overmix here!
*Note: you can also do this in a food processor by pulsing just a few times to bring it all together. This ensures the dough stays cold.

5. Lightly flour a surface and dump dough out onto the floured board.
6. Knead the dough a few times to bring together (with floured hands to avoid sticking). Gently pat the dough flat until 3/4- to 1-inch thick.
*Note: do this lightly and quickly to avoid warming up the dough. You want that butter and buttermilk to stay cold so that the biscuits rise and get fluffy in the oven. If it gets too warm, that  might not happen :( and how sad would that be?

8. Using a round (floured) cookie cutter, cut into rounds. You can re-roll the scraps, but keep them cold!
9. Brush tops with melted butter.
10. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Note: you can freeze the cut biscuits (pre-baking) and then remove frozen, baking at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.