Buttermilk Biscuits

When it comes to breakfast, the only ones I really enjoy are fattening. So of course, I love biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, corn beef hash, and breakfast skillets. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to make homemade biscuits and gravy for years. My first failure was the biscuits. I guess Bisquick is not my friend for biscuit making. I recently tried this recipe, and I found success!

• 2 cups all purpose flour, stirred before measuring
• 2 1/2 TSP baking powder
• 1/4 TSP baking soda
• 1 TSP salt
• 1/4 cup shortening, chilled
• 2 TBS butter, chilled
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the chilled shortening and butter until you have pieces the size of small peas.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in buttermilk. With a wooden spoon (you can not use an electric mixer, you need the air mixed in to make these light and fluffy) gently blend the dry ingredients into the buttermilk, just until the mixture is clumpy - you do NOT want to over mix this!! You made need to add an additional TBS of buttermilk.

4. Transfer the dough to floured cutting board. Pat out into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. If you have a biscuit cutter, cut out your biscuits. If you don't, I suggest a glass juice cup, also lightly floured (grandmother used this for years, always worked for her). Place cut biscuits on a ungreased baking sheet (if you have a cooking stone, that's even better!) Bake on center oven rack for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Makes 10-12 biscuits, depending on the size cut.