We are having a great Saturday here around the farm. It started this morning with a big Southern breakfast at the request of my oldest son. (Big Southern breakfast to us includes: grits, eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade bisuits and preserves, and sliced cantaloupe!) I made homemade biscuits this morning, and I wanted to share my recipe. I have the ingredients down to measured amounts – which is unusual for most Southern women and their “pinch here and there” while making biscuits!
Gran Jan’s Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
(This makes about 10-12 medium sized biscuits.)
2 1/2 cups of White Lily self-rising flour
1 stick of frozen salted butter, grated with a box grater
1 cup of whole buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Lightly grease a cast iron skillet (or baking sheet if you don’t have a skillet. I use this cast iron skillet for baking biscuits and absolutely love it! It is made by Lodge Manufacturing.
- Measure the White Lily self-rising flour out into a large mixing bowl.
- Using the course side of a box grater, grate the stick of frozen butter directly into the self-rising flour. Work quickly now and mix the flour and frozen butter pieces together for even distribution.
- Next, make a little well in the middle of the flour/butter mixture, and pour in the 1 cup of buttermilk and mix until just combined, using a spatula. About 12-15 good “stirs” is plenty!
- Dump the sticky dough out onto a floured service. I use parchment paper. Flour your hands well and quickly pat the dough into a 1/2″ thick rectangle – about the size of a sheet of notebook paper.
- Now for the folding technique – which creates the beautiful layers in your biscuits: fold your dough “rectangle” in half, then turn clockwise and fold again, turn clockwise and fold again. Smooth it back into the rectangle shape and you’re ready to cut the biscuits out now!
- Take your biscuit cutter and dip in into some flour and go straight down and back up. Don’t twist the cutter. Place the biscuits on the skillet closely, touching each other.
- When you’ve cut all you can out of that batch, refold your dough again a couple of times and use the cutter to finish out the dough. You may even have to roll the very last biscuit out with your hands.
- Put the skillet in the hot oven at 450 degrees and bake the biscuits 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
- Today I felt a little whimsical fancy and decided to use one of my antique biscuit cutters. I bought the biscuit cutters at an antique market in Atlanta several years ago. I used the scalloped edge biscuit cutter today. I have a large one and a small one. (The three small biscuits were for the grandchildren.)
After breakfast my husband, son, and grandson all decided to take a swim in the pond. They had the most wonderful time and swam for almost 2 hours…which means they had hearty appetites for lunch! These hearty appetites led to another Southern delicacy…Tomato Sandwiches!!!
I am very thankful for the garden bounty we’ve had this summer. I love to garden for the pure joy it brings me, but the side benefit of the delicious produce is wonderful this time of year.
My youngest son and his wife and son joined us for lunch today and we had a wonderful time around the table. The grandchildren are at the age now where they can play together a bit more. Zeke will be 3 next month and Madie Ruth and Jackson are both almost 14 months old. Good times indeed. I am counting my blessings this Saturday, and family time is right up there at the top of my list!!!
Happy Biscuit Baking!
