Buttermilk Biscuits - Just like Cracker Barrel!

RECIPES AT THE TOP - CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM!

Here's how we make Buttermilk Biscuits AT HOME MY WAY:

Buttermilk Biscuits

(just like Cracker Barrel)

(Makes about 8 biscuits.)

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients:

• 2 cups SELF RISING flour  (self rising flour gives the perfect taste to homemade biscuits)
• 1/3 cup shortening  (cold real butter also works here)
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk* 
• *NOTE:  (If using regular milk combined with lemon juice vinegar referenced below, you only need 1 cup of milk because thinner regular milk uses less by volume than the thick real buttermilk.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

(Make sure your flour is "fluffed" not straight from the bag;  Dump it in a larger container and stir using up and down motion to fluff it up a little bit-THEN measure out 2 cups). 

Measure 2 cups SELF RISING flour into a mixing bowl.  Add shortening and cut it until small and crumbly. A fork works fine for this purpose or a pastry blender is great if you have one.  Then, dump in the milk and stir with a large spoon until all mixed, quickly working the biscuit dough into one big blob in your bowl (don't stir too much; just until it all comes together).  

I then dump my dough onto a floured surface, sprinkle the dough blob with flour, flatten and fold the dough over itself.  Flatten again and fold over again.  This creates nice layers in the biscuits.  Do the folding process twice.

Now roll or press the dough until 1 1/2 inch thick (not too thin).  You can roll it with a rolling pin but that's purely optional, to me.  I just press mine out.  Cut with an upside down cup/glass. Try not to twist the glass.  You want clean cuts so the biscuits can rise.  Just press straight down to cut the biscuits.  Rebecca used a wine glass like this:

Place the biscuits very close to each other or touching (they climb on each other so need to be close together to get tall), in a sprayed or greased pan for baking.  (Mine are usually touching each other.)  

Bake in a PREHEATED oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Sometimes I brush them with melted butter after they come out of the oven.

THE CHIT CHAT!

My daughter has been it again.  She beat me at my own game!

I consider myself a biscuit connoisseur.  I grew up with southern homemade biscuits (unless I stayed at my granny's house where we were TREATED to canned biscuits :)).  We eat homemade biscuits (MY recipe HERE) for breakfast with jelly or white gravy; with supper;  for snacks; and my favorite way - for dessert (split, underneath some hot, homemade chocolate pudding -recipe HERE)!

My daughter's favorite biscuits, however, are not mine.  No way; it can't be!  What's wrong with that kid?  

My daughter's favorite biscuits are, get this... at Cracker Barrel restaurant!  Being the adult and grownup that I am, I'm going to admit that Cracker Barrel has some pretty delicious biscuits.  I'll give her that!  But mine were the best homemade biscuits... that is, until we tried her new recipe.

My daughter searched online and found a recipe for homemade Cracker Barrel Biscuits.  Are they as good as Cracker Barrel?  You betcha!  Her biscuits nail the texture, taste, and size.  She has outdone her mother in biscuit making.  What is the world coming to?

These  buttermilk biscuits are made with self rising flour.  You can find a substitution for self rising flour but I don't recommend it.  Buy a bag of self rising flour and after you taste these biscuits, you will be making them all the time.  (Self rising flour already has the baking powder, salt, and flour mixed together.  It saves lots of dish washing  and measuring so just keep some on hand.)  I think the self rising flour and the buttermilk give these biscuits their spot on, perfect flavor.  

I normally buy organic or unbleached flour.  But, I'll be buying myself a bag of self rising flour for making these biscuits!

These biscuits also use buttermilk.  We use buttermilk found in the dairy section of the store in a carton.  I cannot be sure these will taste the same if you use a mixture of milk+vinegar or lemon juice to make homemade buttermilk or if you use powdered buttermilk.  I think you need to get actual real thing.  Also - if you use real buttermilk, you will be using more of that because it is thicker than if you combine milk+lemon juice or vinegar, because it is thinner.  Thicker milk uses more milk by volume than regular milk combined with lemon/vinegar.  I use 1 1/4 cup of real buttermilk but if using regular milk, 1 cup will be enough.

I am the first person to play around with recipes.  I will NOT be playing around with this recipe.  They are perfect!
Let me know if you think they are as good as Cracker Barrel!

Enjoy!

Gina