Buttery Homemade Biscuits

 Homemade biscuits have been a simple, humble affair my entire life. My grandmother and my mom do not do anything fancy--they just throw together some self-rising flour, oil and milk, cut, bake, and eat. So easy and quick! And these biscuits really work wonderfully for about anything. That said, sometimes a nice, layered, buttery biscuit might be more what you want. I'd call these more "restaurant" style. I've been throwing them together a lot in recent weeks--they require a bit more thought and a few more minutes, but they are well worth it and still easy! Grating the partially frozen butter, rather than cutting it in, is a simple hack that saves a lot of time. Enjoy! 

Buttery Homemade Biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 - 1 1/4 cups cold, whole milk

*It will help if you place butter in freezer for 15-30 minutes prior to making!

Measure dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Working quickly, grate in the butter and stir to coat. Add 1+ cup of the cold milk. Stir gently and add an additional tablespoon or two if there is still flour in the bottom of the bowl. The dry ingredients should be completely added and the dough should only be a tad sticky or wet looking. Lightly flour the counter and place dough ball down. Gently flatten a bit, fold over, turn 90 degrees and repeat 2-3 more times. Be very careful not to overwork the dough. After folding 2-3 times, use hands to flatten to about 3/4-1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut out biscuits. Place on a cookie sheet with Silpat, parchment, or lightly greased. Bake at 425F (210C) for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter after baked if desired.

This recipe will yield 9-10 large biscuits, or 14-15 smaller sized.

Lightly simplified from this Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scone recipe!