My Best Buttermilk Biscuits

Adapted from Peter Reinhart. My sister loves buttermilk biscuits, and this method of letter-folding the dough (like in puff pastry) ensures perfectly flaky layers every time. It’s an extra step, but it is SO worth it!

• Ready In: 44 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 10 biscuits

Ingredients

• 5  ounces all-purpose flour, plus some for shaping
• 3  ounces  kamut flour
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon raw sugar
• 2  ounces  well chilled butter, cubed
• 3⁄4 cup  well-chilled buttermilk, plus extra for brushing

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 500°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the butter cubes and, using your fingers, break them up into the flour until the mixture is filled with pea-sized bits (you should have definite “butter” pieces). Don’t work the butter too hard, it will melt the butter.
4. Add the buttermilk and stir until all or most of the flour is absorbed by the buttermilk and the dough forms a coarse, slightly sticky lump.
5. Turn out the dough on a well-floured surface.
6. With floured hands, press the dough into a ½”-thick rectangle.
7. Starting from the shorter ends, letter-fold the dough. Rotate 90°.
8. Press out again into a ½”-thick rectangle and repeat the letter-folding (again from the “new” short ends).
9. Turn dough 90°, press out and fold one more time. You will have folded a total of three times.
10. Press out into a ¾”-thick rectangle.
11. Use a sharp knife to cut the rectangle into 10 even pieces. Do not “saw” the dough. If using a glass or biscuit cutter, don’t twist down – it seals all the edges.
12. If you are using a cutter, you’ll be able to re-press the scraps about two more times with similar flakiness.
13. Place biscuits on the sheet, brush with buttermilk and place in the oven.
14. Immediately drop the temperature to 450°F and bake 8 minutes.
15. Rotate the pan 180° and bake a further 6 minutes.
16. Immediately place biscuits on a wire rack to cool.