The Best Buttermilk Biscuits

"The Best" according to America's Test Kitchen. Not the best according to me. I think it's the flavor of the buttermilk powder I don't like, but these biscuits were not my what I am looking for when it comes to the perfect biscuit. They weren't quite fluffy enough. And the baking time was WAY too long. I took them out 2 minutes early, and they were still too brown for my liking. I think I'd like them a little better if I baked them with the sides touching. They'd be a lot softer, and maybe even fluffier. The photo of the biscuits in he America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book even looks like they baked their biscuits side-by-side, but the instructions say to space them apart. Hmm... I might try this again. But overall, I'm not pleased with the first recipe I chose to break in my brand new biscuit cutters! If you want to suggest your favorite biscuit recipe, I would gladly accept any and all advice! Thanks :D

The Best Buttermilk Biscuits (from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)
MAKES 12 (I got 9 when I halved it!)
“You can substitute 1¾ cups regular buttermilk or soured milk for the milk and powdered buttermilk; however, the biscuits will be less flavorful. Baking the biscuits upside down ensures a more even rise.”

3¾ cups (18¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1¼ cups whole milk

1.Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.Pulse the flour, buttermilk powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a food processor to combine, about 3 pulses.Scatter the butter and shortening evenly over the top, and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
3.Transfer the flour mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the milk with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out ontoa well-floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and the dough, and knead the dough gently until uniform, about 30 seconds. Roll the dough intoa 10-inch round, about 1 inch thick.
4.Using a floured 2½-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out 12 biscuits, gently patting the dough scraps back into a uniform, 1-inch-thick piece as needed.Arrange the biscuits upside down on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1½ inches apart.
5.Bake for 5 minutes. Rotate the pan, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and continue to bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (Mine were done at 10). Transfer to a wire rack, let cool for 5 minutes, and serve warm.

To Make Ahead
The cut, unbaked biscuits can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours; bake as directed. (They do not freeze well.)

“After lots of testing and tasting, we concluded that the best buttermilk biscuits are made with buttermilk powder. Not only does the buttermilk powder produce biscuits with a slightly finer, fluffier texture, but we can add as much of the powder as we want to the dough for maximum buttermilk tang with no textural side effects. When using liquid buttermilk, on the other hand, you can only add as much as the dough can handle; using too much liquid will turn the dough into a batter.” -THE AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN FAMILY BAKING BOOK

Easy Drop Biscuits... AKA The "Lazy"

Lately, I've been really interested in biscuits. Should they be small or large? Should they be fluffy or flaky? Should they be dropped or cut out? I think those are all a matter of opinion. I like my biscuits to be about 3" in diameter, about the size of the palm of my hand. I like them fluffy and moist. Ya know when fresh sandwich bread sticks to the roof of your mouth? I LOVE when biscuits do that! Most importantly, I like the top of my biscuit to be golden brown and brushed with salty butter. My quest is to find a recipe for the perfect-sized fluffy biscuit. I won't lie, Hardee's makes my dream biscuit! I want to find a recipe for a biscuit very similar to their's. I also wanna find the perfect flaky biscuits (my parents love those for sausage biscuits), quick and simple biscuits, and savory biscuits (cheddar biscuits are my FAVE!).

I was feeling a little lazy this morning so I chose an easy recipe for drop biscuits. Instead of kneading the dough, rolling it out, and cutting it into circles, you simply use a measuring cup or disher and scoop it right onto the baking sheet! They came out fluffy and soft with a nice crust on the bottom. They weren't as light and airy as my dream biscuit, but that might be because they're dropped and not cut out! I have this complex. It's a condition caused by my abundance of baking books and knowing that I have so many biscuit recipes on my shelves. I'm always trying to find one better. So I'll probably try a few more lazy biscuit recipes before I settle on the one I'll keep making til I'm 90.

Measuring flour... 10 ounces exactly! Mixing the melted butter and water.... ehhh... yum?
Biscuit dough!
Perfect size!
A biscuit with orange juice.... and later another with grape jelly!

Simple Drop Biscuits
Makes 12 (I got 11 with a #20 scoop)

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted (for brushing on top)

I didn’t have buttermilk, so I added 4 tablespoons of buttermilk powder to the flour mixture. Then I used 1 cup cold water in place of the cold buttermilk.
Center a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt, and buttermilk powder (if using) together in a large bowl. In a large measuring cup, stir the cold buttermilk (or water) and melted butter together until the butter forms small clumps. (Mine pretty much all clumped together.) Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until just incorporated and dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. (My dough never came away from the bowl.)
Scoop dough using a 1/4 measuring cup or disher and drop onto baking sheet 1 1/2” apart. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
Additionally, you can brush the tops with melted butter as soon as the biscuits come out of the oven. Serve warm.