These biscuits are a great alternative to a yeast bread, as they do not require too much time or effort to make. They have a bit more spice than your average Pillsbury canned biscuits—and are much more satisfying as well! They work as a side for dinner, as a base for a savory breakfast sandwich, or with jam if you prefer your biscuits both sweet and savory. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute for regular milk mixed with 1 tbsp. lemon juice for every one cup of milk, mixed, and left to sit 10 or so minutes. The biscuits are connected, which preserves freshness a bit longer than separated biscuits exposed to the air individually. Also, if you’re trying to stretch them out, splitting and toasting a biscuit is a quick fix for slightly stale- tasting biscuits or bread.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus 1/2 pound (2 sticks), cut into pieces, softened

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Special equipment: Two (8”) cake pans or one (9×13”) baking dish

Directions:

First, preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease two cake pans or one baking dish with 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Next, combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, pepper, kosher salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add shortening and 1/2 pound softened butter. Mix with your hands or a fork until mixture is coarse and mealy. Gradually stir in the buttermilk (or whole milk mixture) until your dough becomes shaggy.

Finally, divide your dough into 16 1/3-cup portions. Place seven balls of dough around the perimeter of your pans and one in the center of each cake pan (or fit all 16 into baking dish). Brush the biscuits with remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter, sprinkle the biscuits with sea salt and bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

Let the biscuits cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Flip the pan onto a wire rack, then flip the biscuits back into the pan. You can serve this delicious treat warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is courtesy of Epicurious.com.