Chef John's Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter , chilled in freezer and cut into thin slices
• 0.75 cups cold buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk for brushing

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. 2

   Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add cold butter slices and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. 3

   Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour cold buttermilk into the well and stir gently until just combined. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and pat it together into a rectangle.

4. 4

   Fold the rectangle in thirds. Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing the dough a total of three times.

5. 5

   Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut biscuits. Reroll any scraps to cut more biscuits; you should get 12 total.

6. 6

   Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb. Brush buttermilk over the tops.

7. 7

   Bake in the preheated oven until biscuits are flaky and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!