Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard ORa
• Unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method

Step 01

Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°.

Step 02

Make your own baking powder by sifting together the cream of tartar and baking soda.

Step 03

In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder and salt.  Add the lard or butter and quickly work the pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers.  The pieces should be coarsely blended and resemble large peas.

Step 04

Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk.  Quickly mix the ingredients until the mixture just comes together and forms a shaggy mass.  Add 1-2 more tablespoons of buttermilk if the mixture seems dry.

Step 05

Immediately turn the dough out onto to a generously floured surface and quickly knead the dough about ten times until a ball forms.  Gently flatted the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out a thickness of 3/4 inch.

Step 06

With a fork that has been dipped in flour, pierce the dough at half inch intervals before using a fluted, 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to stamp out the biscuits.  When you have run out of room to stamp out more biscuits, carefully reform the dough and press out as many as you can.

Step 07

Arrange the biscuits  on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Step 08

Remove from the oven a brush the tops with the melted butter.  Serve warm with butter, honey and/or jam.