2-1 High-Hat Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt (If using Morton coarse kosher salt, use ½ teaspoon. If using table salt, use a scant ½ teaspoon. The listed amount is for Diamond Crystal kosher salt.)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (Keep very cold and cut into pieces.)
• 1 cup buttermilk (Keep cold. Start with ¾ cup, then add more 1 tablespoon at a time only as needed; you may not need the full amount.)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Keep the butter and buttermilk refrigerated until you are ready to use them; both need to remain cold for the dough to be easy to handle.

2. 2

   In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Pulse briefly to mix the dry ingredients evenly.

3. 3

   Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is fully cut into the dry ingredients and essentially disappears; pea-sized pieces are not the goal.

4. 4

   Pour in ¾ cup of the cold buttermilk and pulse just until a shaggy dough begins to form. Do not overmix.

5. 5

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. If it does not hold together, fold in additional cold buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is cohesive but still slightly shaggy.

6. 6

   Pat the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold it in half, then pat it out again. Repeat for a total of three sets of folds to build the biscuit's layered structure, handling the dough as little as possible.

7. 7

   After the final fold, pat or gently roll the dough to an even thickness of 1 to 1¼ inches. Do not make it thinner, or the biscuits may not achieve their characteristic height.

8. 8

   Using a floured round biscuit cutter, stamp out 8 or 9 rounds. Press the cutter straight down without twisting so the layers are not sealed. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart.

9. 9

   Bake until the biscuits are very tall and deeply golden on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and serve warm.

Notes

The amount of buttermilk depends on its consistency, so begin with ¾ cup and add the remainder gradually only if necessary. Keep both butter and buttermilk cold throughout preparation. The recipe can be scaled up easily.

Nutrition per serving

• breakfast
• baked
• biscuits
• vegetarian
• American
• make-ahead-friendly