Buttermilk Biscuits

There is a big part of me (about 78.4%) that wants to live on a farm, surrounded by rolling hills….

Picture it.  A simple farm house with a welcoming wrap around porch.  A porch, where you would find a lazy bloodhound (Sam) sleeping and maybe a corgi (Howard).  They would be stretched out next to weathered rocking chairs that creek quietly as they slowly rock back and forth.  There would be many moments cherished on this porch and in these chairs.  It would be a place to watch the sun rise and set (why the wrap around porch is key).  A safe place to watch storms roll in and a dry place to sit during a warm spring shower.  A place to listen to baseball games on the radio while drinking a cold beer.  A place to sit with my future husband and plan our future or our next vacation or to simply talk about our day.  Rocking chairs are key.

There would be oak trees and weeping willows in the front yard.  One would have a swing dangling from one of its branches.  The grass beneath the swing would be gone, leaving only a worn out patch of dirt.  And lots of wide open space, so a game of kick ball could take place or just a bit of pitch and catch.

The back yard would have a small garden.  A garden where tomatoes, green beans, and peppers thrive in the summer.  It would be nestled up against a small barn where there would definately be a few horses and barn cats roaming about.  It would be red and it would have a hay loft.  Nothing big and fancy…just small and manageable.

The house itself would have an open floor plan where the kitchen would be the focal point.  No formal dining room needed…just room for a long wooden table made of reclaimed wood.  There would be two long benches.  Enough room to hold the bottoms of a few or  many loved ones.  I think the walls would be sage green.  And windows.  Lots of windows, letting light flood the house from morning to night.  And there would be a screen door leading from the kitchen to the porch.  A screen door that slams against the frame…not annoyinlgy so, but with charm.

And in this kitchen I would bake and cook, feeding the ones I love.  Because that is what I do.  That is how I show my love/affection/friendship.  Sometimes words fail me or they stumble upon my lips…but baked goods, those have never failed me.  And if you popped by on a Saturday morning….you would find me in a flour dusted apron making buttermilk biscuits.  I would pour you a cup of coffee and you would grab a seat at the island…and we would chat like old friends, because we would be.  When the biscuits emerged from the oven, we would each grab one (or two!), slather them with salted butter, jam, or honey and make our way out to the porch.  To those rocking chairs.  And rock away the morning …

A girl can dream, right?  Yes!  Yes she can.

One part of the dream has already come true….  Buttermilk biscuits.  Warm, tender, flaky biscuits…slathered with apple butter.  Oy!  Make them, share them, devour them…and repeat as often as needed.  That is an order.  Oh and get to dreaming…and making those dreams reality.

Next up for me….I think I will work on those rocking chairs.  🙂

 

Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 12-15

Ingredients

 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons Butter (very cold)
2 Tablespoons Shortening
3/4 to 1 Cup Buttermilk, shaken

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Cut butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal.  You can use a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingers…just work fairly fast, so the butter doesn’t begin to melt. ( A great way to cut the butter into the dry ingredients quickly, is to grate the butter into dry ingredients…yes, with a cheese grater – works wonders!)  If the butter begins to soften too much, place it all back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until chilled again.

Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough.  Add more buttermilk by the tablespoon if needed to bring the dough together.  The dough should be rather sticky.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface and sprinkle flour atop of the dough itself.   Gently fold the dough over onto itself about 5 times.  Roll or pat dough to about a 1 inch thickness.  With a floured biscuit cutter (or round cookie cutter) cut out biscuits – press, do not twist the biscuit cutter.  Reshape and roll out extra dough, making more biscuits.  Place biscuits onto an ungreased (or parchment lined) cookie tray and bake in preheated oven for about 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.  They are best when eaten fresh from the oven.

If there are any left over, let them cool completely and then wrap them tightly with tinfoil.  Reheat by placing them in a 350F oven for 5-10 minutes.  Perfection!