Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

The last few days I have been craving biscuits. To me there is not much better than a hot homemade biscuit fresh from the oven slathered in strawberry preserves or sorghum molasses. I remember as a kid going over to my granny's house where she would make me one of two things for breakfast---buttermilk biscuits with room temperature butter and molasses, or cinnamon toast.

Now, I love to cook and bake, but I am someone who appreciates modern convenience as well. I admit that for the last few years I have been buying Pillsbury Break and Bake cookies, and Pillsbury Southern Style frozen Buttermilk Biscuits.

About 6 months ago I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch, which I haven't done in years. I haven't bought Pillsbury cookies since. I was surprised how much better they were than Pillsbury (who happens to make a great, easy cookie), and it really didn't take that long.

I wondered if this may be true for other items we all have gotten away from making from scratch. There is currently a trend towards buying local, and towards foods with less preservatives and shorter ingredient lists. Organic is the new thing. To me organic doesn't have to mean a pricey item bought at the local Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market. Organic to me means growing what you can at home, buying from your local farmers, eating at home more, and making things from scratch for better health. This buttermilk biscuit recipe has only 6 ingredients-- all of which I already had in my pantry and fridge. It took about 20 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to bake. And they were way better than the frozen ones.

Recipe is below: (Makes 5 biscuits) Serves 2-3 people

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup well shaken buttermilk
Butter for greasing pan

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt by hand. Add the shortening, and butter and mix with your fingers or a fork until it is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix with your hands. The dough should be a moist ball when it is ready to roll. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough 1 inch thick. Add more flour to prevent sticking. Using a 3 Inch biscuit cutter cut the dough into rounds and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Note: I cut the recipe I found in half, but of course you can double it for a family of 4. If you don't have a biscuit cutter use a clean can (I used a clean tuna can).
Happy Baking!