Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes: 6 to 12, depending on size

Time: 20 to 30 minutes

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The best biscuits are made with cold butter, which produces flakiness, and buttermilk, which supplies a welcome tang and makes the baking soda leap. For an especially delicate crumb, use cake flour. These biscuits are easily adapted to lean sweet or savory; once you’ve mastered the basic technique, try one of the variations.

Newcomers to biscuits will be surprised at how easy these are, and how wonderful the results.

• 2 cups all-purpose or cake flour, plus more for shaping
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½-inch slices
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk or yogurt

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
2. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Spread some flour (about ¼ cup) on a clean work surface and turn the dough onto the flour. Knead the dough a few times, adding a little more flour to your hands only if the dough is very sticky.
3. Press the dough out ¾ inch thick and cut out 1½- to 2½-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or sturdy drinking glass. Put the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Press together the scraps, pat them out ¾ inch thick, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat once more if you still have dough.
4. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on size, until the biscuits are golden brown. Transfer the biscuits to a rack to cool; serve within 15 minutes. Or wrap in foil and keep warm in a 200°F oven for up to an hour.

Whole Wheat Biscuits Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose, so you may need to add an extra tablespoon or so of buttermilk: Substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour.

Cheddar-Chive Biscuits Toss ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup minced fresh chives in the flour and butter mixture before adding the buttermilk.

Orange-Currant Biscuits Add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest and 3 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. Toss ½ cup dried currants in the flour and butter mixture before adding the buttermilk.

Strawberry and Cream Biscuits Add 3 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. Substitute ¾ cup cream for the buttermilk. Toss 1 cup chopped ripe strawberries and their juice with the flour and butter mixture before adding the cream.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Southern-style goodness: Grease the baking sheets. Stir 1 cup cooked, drained, and puréed sweet potato or winter squash into the butter and flour mixture. Add only enough buttermilk to form the dough into a ball, usually between ½ and ¾ cup; if your potatoes are very dry, you may need the whole amount. Roll the dough a little thinner, about ½ inch thick. Cut into biscuits as directed, and bake at 450°F for 12 to 15 minutes. The addition of the sweet potato will roughly double the yield.

7 Sweet and Savory Add-Ins for Buttermilk Biscuits

1. Up to 1 cup fresh corn kernels
2. Up to 1 cup shredded or cubed cheese
3. Up to ½ cup chopped dried or fresh fruit
4. Up to 1 tablespoon ground spices or spice blends, like chili or curry powder
5. Up to ¼ cup minced jalapeño chile
6. Up to ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs
7. Up to 1 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest