With the cool crisp autumn air swept over Glasgow, I craved something warm, hearty and comforting. When it was time to make some home-style (American) comfort food, I knew my gourmet macaroni and cheese, and buttermilk biscuits would hit the spot. These buttermilk biscuits are not to be confused with the British “biscuit,” which is more of a wee hard sweetened baked good (“cookies” for us Yanks). Biscuits in the US are similar to scones in the UK. Often times, these biscuits accompany many southern-style dishes, which are rich in comfort or “soul” food. They are quite simple to whip up, and the moment you bite into these warm golden buttery flaky pillows, you’ll go “mmm…”

Buttermilk Biscuits ready to go into the hot oven!

Makes approximately 18 biscuits
Active prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground flake sea salt
• 113.5 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• Extra virgin olive oil

Approach

1. Preheat the oven to 245ºC
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly
3. Add the butter to the dry mix, and crumble the butter into the mixture with your hands. It should create a grainy mixture once all the butter is incorporated
4. Add the buttermilk, and mix with hands until it forms a dough ball
5. Generously flour a clean surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about ½” thickness
6. Using 68mm pastry round cutters, cut into the dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
7. Feel free to roll the dough up, and re-roll out to cut more round pieces
8. Line the dough circles closely to one another, and brush the top with olive oil
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they puff up and are golden brown
10. Let cool for 5 minutes before digging in
11. Serve with comfort food, or top with honey and butter to indulge in the biscuit alone; enjoy!