BUTTERMILK BISCUITS [AND STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE]
At my mom’s house (and Maw-Maw’s before her), there are always fresh buttermilk biscuits on the table at breakfast time. My Uncle Mike likes crusty biscuits, so Maw-Maw would make him drop biscuits, which have more crunch. I’ve included instructions for this technique below, as well as classic biscuits made with a cutter (or, in my mom’s case, a tomato paste can). Most pastry chefs will tell you to punch biscuit dough straight, instead of turning and twisting. I disagree. Twisting as you punch out the rounds makes a taller, fluffier biscuit in my experience.
She would also whip these up and serve them as strawberry shortcakes—you slice up as many fresh strawberries as you want, toss them with sugar, and serve it all with whipped cream.
FOR THE BISCUITS
2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for kneading
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
¾ cup buttermilk, preferably whole (see Note)
Vegetable oil, for the skillet
Melted butter or vegetable shortening, for brushing the biscuits
FOR SERVING AS STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
Fresh strawberries (¼ cup per person)
Heavy cream, whipped (a big dollop per person)
NOTE If you can’t find whole buttermilk, add a splash of heavy cream to low-fat (1%) or light (1.5%) buttermilk.
MAKE THE BISCUITS
Pour the flour into a bowl. Add the shortening and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the shortening into the flour until it’s the size of small pebbles. Add the buttermilk and stir until blended. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times, until smooth. Bake the biscuits until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
TO MAKE DROP BISCUITS
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Grease a large cast-iron skillet with oil. Use the middle three fingers of your hand (or a ⅓-cup measuring cup) to scoop 12 portions of dough onto the prepared skillet, spacing them about ½ inch apart. Brush the tops with melted butter or shortening. Don’t crowd the pan; bake in batches if necessary.
TO MAKE SHAPED BISCUITS
Preheat the oven to 475°F. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to make a round about ½ inch thick. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or can, punch the dough into rounds, twisting the cutter as you go. Re-roll the scraps and repeat. Arrange the biscuits in the skillet, leaving about ½ inch of space between them, again baking in batches rather than crowding them if necessary. Brush the tops with melted butter or shortening. Bake the biscuits until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
FOR STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
You can do this all by eye and to taste, but hull and slice up the strawberries and place in a bowl. Add sugar to taste—I like 3 tablespoons per pound of berries—and let it sit until the natural syrup comes out, at least 10 minutes.
Whip the cream until it’s at the fluffiness you like.
Split a biscuit open, top with ¼ cup strawberries and some of its syrup, and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Repeat as much as you want.