Description
Made with three leavening agents, these biscuits have the structure of a biscuit and the soft and airy texture of a dinner roll combined into one. Light, tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 envelope active dry yeast, (I used rapid rise)
- 2 tablespoons very warm water, (105 to 115 degrees)
- 5 cups all purpose flour, spoon & leveled
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup solid shortening such as Crisco, cold
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 cups full fat buttermilk, cold
- Whipping cream for brushing unbaked biscuits
- Butter for brushing baked biscuits
Additional flour for dusting work surface
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in the warm water and set aside.
- Sift or whisk the flour in a large bowl with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. There’s 5 cups of flour, so make sure everything is mixed together thoroughly.
- Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and yeast mixture and mix just until the dough holds together. (If not baking the biscuits right away, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly fold it over onto itself a couple of times with floured hands, then pat it out into a thickness of about 1/2-inch.
- Cut with a biscuit cutter (I use a 2-inch), and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, making sure you do not twist the biscuit cutter. Cut straight down and lift cutter straight up.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Meantime, cover the biscuits with a warm towel and place in a warm environment for 30 minutes before baking. This gives the yeast time to work.
- Lightly brush the biscuits with some whipping cream or half & half. If you don’t have any, don’t worry. This just helps them brown quicker. Bake biscuits until they are golden brown on top, about 10 minutes.
- Brush tops with melted butter and serve hot.
Notes
- The dough will keep for up to one week refrigerated, so feel free to use just 1/4 or 1/2 of the dough at one time.
- It’s important to allow cut biscuits to rise for at least 30 minutes before baking. Otherwise, you aren’t getting the extra benefit of using the yeast.