Back to Basics With Buttermilk Biscuits

My Buttermilk Biscuit recipe came from my 1973 edition of The Joy of Cooking. For the fat, it calls for the use of either lard or butter. I have always used butter. Great! Luscious buttery flavor! Done!

Today I decided to use lard. (Read here for my lard back story.)

The dough was so easy to work with!

The biscuits' flavor and tender texture were--dare I say it?--better than with butter!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Stir together:

1¾ C whole wheat flour

¾ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. sugar

Cut in:

¼ C (2 oz.) lard

Add:

⅔ C buttermilk or sour milk (2 tsp. vinegar plus milk to equal ⅔ C)

Lightly mix together the dough. Then turn it onto a lightly floured board. Knead it lightly for ½ minute. Pat the dough to the thickness of ½ inch. Cut with a biscuit cutter.

Place the biscuits close together—not quite touching—on an ungreased baking pan.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 10-12 minutes.

By the way, the name of the recipe notwithstanding, I always use sour milk. It works just as well as buttermilk and is lots less expensive. If you have buttermilk on hand, you might as well use it. I never have it on hand.