Scott Peacock's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits

Submitted by Dan-Amer 1

"This recipe was found in the NY Times. It is from the Watershed Restaurant in Decatur, GA. My friend, Puppyhal, who claimed that he could not make good biscuits tried this recipe and said they came out perfect! This takes a lot of work but it is worth it."

 

• Ready In: 27mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 12-16 biscuits

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon & 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbs unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

directions

1. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Sift together the cream of tartar and baking soda. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cream of tartar-baking soda mixture, and the salt. Add the butter. Working quickly with your clean hands rub it between your fingertips until half is coarsely blended in and the remaining pieces of butter are 3/4 inch thick.
2. Make a well in the center of your mixture, add the buttermilk, and stir it quickly just until it has blended and a sticky dough forms. (If dough appears dry add 1 to 2 Tbs more buttermilk.)
3. Immediately turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Using floured hands briskly knead about 10 times until a ball forms. Gently flatten the dough, and using a floured rolling pin, roll to 3/4 inch thick.
4. Using a fork dipped in flour, pierce the dough through at 1/2 inch intervals. Flour a 2 1/2 inch or 3 inch biscuit cutter and stamp out rounds. Arrange these on a heavy, parchment paper lined baking sheet.
5. Bake until golden in the preheated oven, for about 12 minutes or so.
6. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.