Buttermilk Biscuits

Here's my adaptation of Alton Brown's Phase III biscuit, last edited on June 23, 2010.

Dry Ingredients:

9.5 oz all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon (or less) Maldon sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 oz unsalted butter (frozen)

8 oz buttermilk

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 large egg

Optional:
Grated parmesan cheese
Butter and jam

Tools:
Medium bowl
Large, shallow bowl
Whisk or fork
Sifting tool
Grater - larger holes are better, but micro-plane works too
Silicon spoon
Parchment paper
Baking pan

Sift flour and whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Grate butter into dry mixture.

Toss butter flakes into the flour mixture with your hands.

Using the tips of your fingers, rub butter into dry mixture, until half the butter disappears into the flour and the rest looks like bits the size of peas. (This should take less than a minute.)

Stick mixture in the freezer.

Combine the rest of the wet ingredients and beat well. Combine wet mixture with dry mixture gently with a silicone spoon.

Put batter into a large, shallow bowl. Flatten batter against sides of the bowl with the silicon spoon until it's about an inch thick. Bring edges to the center, and do it again 3 more times. Be gentle.

Refrigerate batter for at least another 20 minutes.

Use the silicon spoon plus another spoon to drop balls of dough (around 3") on a parchment lined baking pan. (Optional: Add grated Parmesan to the top of each biscuit.)

Bake at 450 F for 16 minutes. They should rise and won't spread much.

Turn the biscuits out into a basket lined with a kitchen towel and serve immediately.