BEST EVER Buttermilk Biscuits

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Hands down the softest, fluffiest, flakiest, most tender buttermilk biscuits EVER!  Give them a try and I’m confident you’ll agree they’re simply the BEST!

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

I have to tell you I’ve never been a fan of baking powder biscuits.  I’ve always found them too dry and too bland.  And some of them are really better served as door stoppers. But my opinion did a 180 the moment I bit into one of these. I’ve said it before but I will say it again:  Lard makes the baking world go ’round. 

And that’s no revolutionary secret.  That was commonplace knowledge up until the early 20th century.  Until Crisco came along with it’s massive marketing dollars and decided to demonize animal fat in order to push the supposed health benefits of hydrogenated plant oils.  And as we say, the rest is history.  With that came an uprise in chronic disease like we’ve never witnessed before.

Our ancestors were wise.  Use what nature gives you – real, whole ingredients – and avoid the processed stuff.  And here we are today, having finally come full circle with medical research once and for all debunking the animal fat myth.  Hallelujah! Read more about this topic in my article on How to Make Lard.

So now that we’ve come to our senses, let’s talk LARD.  To make the BEST biscuits you have to use it! If you have never made biscuits with lard you are in for a wonderful treat.  Truly, you have never had softer, flakier, more supple biscuits in your life.  These buttermilk biscuits are seriously a-mazing!

The Science Behind Lard: Why It Works

In a nutshell, the flour particles and gluten strands in dough form strong bonds when baked, which means a tougher crust.  Lard works by coating these particles and strands which weakens their structure.  This prevents those strong bonds from forming and creates a flakier, more tender crust.  Lard also has a higher melting point than butter, for example, which means it melts more slowly throughout the baking process, creating air and steam.  The fat crystals in lard are also larger than butter which means tons of tiny, airy holes are left behind as the lard slowly melts.  The result is even more flakiness, leavening and lightening of the texture.

Be Sure To Use the Right Lard

I discuss this in detail in my article about lard, but in short, do not use the lard you find at the supermarket.  Turn it around and look at the ingredients and chances are it is hydrogenated lard.   Put it back on the shelf.  You want pure, natural lard.  Specifically you want what’s known as leaf lard.   That’s the white fat surrounding the kidneys of the pig.  It is more neutral in flavor compared to the other fat in the pig and will contribute the texture you want for your pastries.

Lastly, make sure you get your lard from a trusted source.  Much of the bad stuff we eat gets stored in our fat.  The same is true for animals.  You don’t want to eat condensed toxins in the form of lard.  Find a local farmer or butcher that can sell you leaf fat from responsibly raised pasture-raised pigs.  A healthy pig means healthy fat.  You can buy leaf lard from pasture-raised pigs but it’s terribly expensive.  Instead, make it yourself!  It is so, so easy and SO much cheaper, you can seriously make like a gallon of it for the same cost as a small jar!  All you need is fat and either a slow cooker or a pot. Check out my post on How to Make Lard!

With this magical ingredient in hand, you are ready to do some seriously good baking!

So let’s make the softest, fluffiest, flakiest, most tender buttermilk biscuits EVER!

BEST Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Let’s get started!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the lard and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork (you can also pulse it with a food processor) until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the cold buttermilk and stir it until just barely combined (a few little lumps are fine), be careful not to over-stir.  (If adding any herbs or cheese, add them in with the buttermilk.)  The dough will be fairly wet, this is normal.

Flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface, using floured hands to very gently pat the dough until it’s uniformly 1 inch thick.

Gently fold the dough in half, turn it 90 degrees, then fold it in half again.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured work surface, gently pat out the dough to 1 inch thick again and use a 3″ round biscuit cutter (lightly floured) to cut out rounds, pressing straight down and pulling straight up without twisting or wiggling the cutter.

Gather up the scraps, gently knead them together and pat the dough out to 1 inch thickness.  Cut out the remaining rounds.

Place the biscuits on a lined sheet pan and bake for about 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Brush the hot biscuits with butter (the biscuits will readily absorb it).

Serve the biscuits immediately while warm.

Enjoy!

Be sure to also try my ULTIMATE lard pie crust recipe!

 Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 25, 2020