Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

I love biscuits. I'm not from the South but I still just love biscuits...is that allowed! :) Mom used to whip them up now and then to go with dinner and I would slather them with butter and jam... aahh, yum! This time I wanted to try a new recipe with buttermilk - hoping to find one that was flaky and buttery and delicious. Well I'll tell ya, this one I found on All Recipes is THE winner. It is fantastic!! I think I had about 4 straight out of the oven (I choose not to think about fat grams at times like that). The bit of honey in the ingredients gives them just a hint of sweetness. They are incredibly flaky due to the way you fold the dough over on itself several times - genius! I also think they turned out so well for me this time because I broke my pastry blender so I had to cut the butter into the flour with two knives. I was so bugged with the tediousness of it that I thought I quit a little early since the butter seemed to be in kind of big chunks! Obviously it was just right and to be honest I think I usually cut it in way too much... ok I admit it, I definitely do! I remember Mom telling me often "oh honey, that's a little too much but it's ok - I'm sure it will still be delicious"!! :) So learn from my mistakes and don't cut the butter in too much. Also minimize how much you handle the dough, otherwise you'll end up with tough biscuits!

My poor square little biscuits... I need a round biscuit cutter!!

Deliciously Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

submitted by Brittany

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.
3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.