Biscuits

My dad is an expert biscuit maker, and we had them frequently when I was growing up. Later next month I'm going to see him, and will get the REAL recipe! But until then, this will have to do! The key thing is to handle the dough as little as possible to make a tender biscuit with the maximum rise. Using the food processor to do the mixing of the flour and butter seems to avoid activating the gluten in the flour. And that's a very good thing when you are making biscuits!

Biscuits

Makes 10

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
3/4 cup buttermilk

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the are well combined.
3.Cut the butter into several pieces -- say 12 -- and add them to the flour mixture. Process until the flour resembles coarse meal and the butter is completely mixed in.
4.Pour the flour mixture into a bowl, and add the buttermilk. Stir with a fork, and the dough will come together.
5.Turn the dough out to a floured counter, and, handling the dough as little as possible, knead it a few times until the buttermilk is totally incorporated.
6.Gently pat the dough into a round about 1/2" thick.
7.Using a biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits. Take care not to twist the cutter when you are cutting the biscuits as doing so will inhibit the biscuits from rising.
8.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.