Test Kitchens Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits Recipes

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda for 30 seconds. Toss butter into dry mixture to evenly coat, then press between your fingers to create flower-petal shapes and return to bowl.
• Slowly drizzle buttermilk over flour-butter mixture (to evenly distribute) while stirring with a fork. Stop stirring when dough begins to form but mixture is still crumbly. Transfer to center of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough with your hands, pressing firmly to bind, and flatten it into a 6-by-10-inch rectangle. Lift parchment along a short end of dough and fold in half, forming a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees; gently reflatten to 6 by 10 inches. Fold in half again and flatten slightly into a 6-inch square.
• To keep things easy, form the dough on the same tray it's baked on. Cut it into thirds in both directions with a large, sharp knife, to form 9 biscuits. Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake until puffed, golden brown on top, and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottom, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a kitchen towel-lined basket; cover to keep warm. Serve with butter and jam.

THE BEST FLAKY BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Rub 2 tablespoons of the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until completely absorbed. Work the remaining 8 tablespoons of cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until pea-size bits of butter remain. Use a rubber spatula to stir the buttermilk into the flour until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. (Don't overmix the dough.)
• Lightly flour a cutting board or work surface, turn the dough out onto it and pat into a rectangle. Fold the dough in half and pat again into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Then fold the dough in thirds, as if folding a letter, and pat to an even thickness. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter and put on the prepared baking sheet. Press together the remaining scraps of dough. Pat out and fold the dough into thirds again and cut out more biscuits. Brush the biscuit tops with buttermilk.
• Bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on the pan at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until very well combined, about 30 seconds. In a large measuring cup, beat together buttermilk, lemon juice, eggs, and melted and cooled butter. Make a well in dry ingredients; stir in wet mixture until lumpy and just combined. Let rest 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack inside. Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium; add oil, then wipe with a paper towel, leaving behind a thin film.
• Working in batches, add heaping quarter-cups of batter to skillet, spreading lightly with the bottom of the cup. Cook until bubbles form on surface, edges have set, and undersides are golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer finished pancakes to oven to keep warm. Serve a tall stack with softened butter and maple syrup.