3 ½cupsall-purpose flour(plus more for pressing out the dough and dipping the biscuit cutter)
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoongranulated sugar
1cup(2 sticks) cold chilled unsalted butter(cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
1 ½cupscold buttermilk(see intro for how to make buttermilk)
4tablespoonsunsalted butter(melted; for brushing)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly butter a baking sheet or line it with parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the 3 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender, or use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly so the butter stays cold. Stop when you have a texture that is a combo of pea-sized pieces of butter, and a somewhat sandy texture. You can also do this by pulsing the butter into the flour mixture in a food processor.
Add the buttermilk to the mixture and stir just until it comes together into a shaggy, sticky dough, but do not overmix.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and place about 1/2 cup of flour in a small bowl big enough to accommodate the 3-inch biscuit cutter.
Turn the dough onto the work surface. Press it together just until it forms a ball, handling the dough lightly. Pat it into a rough square or circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut circles with a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, making the circles as close together as possible to use as much of the dough in this first round of cutting. Do not twist the cutter as you press in or pull out, which will seal the layers of the dough and prevent them from rising to their tallest selves. Gather up the scraps and gently press them into another small 3/4-inch-thick shape, and cut as many biscuits as you can from the remaining dough.
Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet having them just barely touch each other. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 14 to 18 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown. Immediately brush the tops with the melted butter. Enjoy hot or warm, if possible, but you can also cool them on a wire rack and store them in an airtight container for one day.
Notes
If your butter is warm, you won’t be able to cut it in properly. You want to use very cold butter so after you cut it in there are lots of small bits of chilled butter throughout the dough. These bits of butter then create those flaky pockets when they melt duuing the baking. The result is the light textured, tender biscuits that we all dream of. If your butter is soft it will blend into the flour, resulting in biscuits that are heavier and don’t rise as well.