The Best Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits are a staple on any Southerners table. Although they are fairly simple to make, biscuits are one of the most overlooked scratch-made foods out there. It's quicker to pop open a can of premade biscuits and throw them in the oven, but they can't compare to the taste or texture of freshly baked ones made from simple ingredients.

How to make flaky buscuits
A lot of people have asked how I get my biscuits so flaky and tall. The secret is in how you fold the dough, and using COLD ingredients. Once you have added in the liquid, use your hands to scrape the dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl and fold it in over itself. Do this several times JUST until the mixture has come together. 

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, and pat it into a rectangle. Fold that rectangle into thirds by grabbing the right side and folding it over to the middle. Then, grab the left side and fold it over to the middle. Think of it as folding a letter to go into an envelope. Once the dough is folded, roll it out and use a biscuit cutter no more than 2 1/4" to 2 1/2" in diameter. This will cause them to rise up tall. 

Let's get on to the actual recipe.

What you need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled for an hour in the freezer (I HIGHLY suggest using 1/2 cup of your own homemade butter here, but if you don't make butter, store bought will have to do.)
3/4 cup full-fat buttermilk, chilled for 20 minutes in freezer
extra buttermilk for brushing the tops of the biscuits

How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Cut the butter into small chunks, and cut it into the flour mixture until it is crumbly.
4. Add in the buttermilk, and mix together like I explained above.
5. Turn out the dough and pat and fold like I explained earlier.
6. Roll the dough out until it's a little over 1/2 inch thick.
7. Cut out biscuits and place on a baking sheet.
8. Make a small indent in the top of each one with your finger, then brush the entire top with buttermilk. This will give the tops a slight crunch, and a really pretty golden sheen.
9. Bake for roughly 15 minutes, until golden brown.