I am a lover of quick breads . . . scones, tea loaves, baking powder biscuits, muffins, corn bread, etc. I just love them. One of the reasons I love them is because they are quick to put together and they freeze really well. If you are making a pot of soup, it really isn't much extra work to put together a savoury muffin or quick bread to go along with it, and they realy turn a simple meal into something very special.
I pinned this recipe for buttermilk biscuits on Pinterest a number of weeks back and I finally got around to baking them late last week. I was really pleased with the way they turned out . . . so much so that I have baked them twice since I baked them the first time. Everyone just loves them. I adapted them from a recipe I found on a blog called the Baker Upstairs and they are utterly gorgeous.
Even the day after . . . in fact two days later they are still quite moreish. We just can't get enough of them and they are so quick and easy to make.
They are light and fluffy and they really do raise quite high . . . not quite a mile high . . . but quite tall at any rate. They're so good on their own, split and spread with a bit of butter . . .
Or with a bit of honey or a bit of cheese . . . jam . . . peanut butter. Mmmm . . . mmmm . . . good. I dare say that buttermilk will be a staple in my refrigerator from now on! (Did you know you can buy it by the liter from Ocado? You can! I only just discovered that myself a few weeks back! It's great!)
*Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits*Makes 12Printable Recipe
These are the lightest fluffiest buttermilk biscuits you could ever bake or eat. So good that I have baked them twice in the last few days!
280g of plain flour (2 cups) sifted1 TBS sugar3 tsp baking powder1 tsp salt125g of cold butter, cut into bits (1/2 cup)180ml of buttermilk (3/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 225*C/450*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt and baking powder. Drop in the butter. Cut it into the dry ingredients using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want pieces no larger than the size of dry peas. Some that size and some smaller. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to mix to a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently a couple of times. Pat out to a six by nine inch rectangle. Visually divide into threes and fold the outer thirds in over the middle third like a book. Pat out again to a six by nine inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Cut into rounds with a sharp 2 1/2 inch round cutter, using a sharp up and down tap. Place several inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Serve warm.
I just know you are going to really enjoy these! But don't take my word for it. Bake them for yourself and see if I am right! Bon Appetit!