Classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, packed
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter to brush on the biscuits

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees F. Spoon a little flour into a shallow dish and set it near where you’ll be working with the dough.
2. Add the flour to a large bowl. Drop in the shortening, then work it through with a pastry cutter or two forks until the pieces are coated with flour and look like small peas.
3. Drizzle the buttermilk slowly around the inside of the bowl, using a fork to lift and toss the flour as you pour. Stir just until the flour is dampened and the dough has a rough, shaggy look. A bit of dry flour is fine, and a light hand is what keeps the biscuits tender.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead very gently about 5 or 6 times, only until it barely holds together. Pat it with your hands into a 7-inch circle that is an inch thick.
5. Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter into the shallow dish of flour, then stamp out the biscuits. Press down and lift straight back up without twisting, since turning the cutter can seal the edges and slow the rise. Gently gather the scraps and shape the final biscuit or two by hand; do not knead the dough or roll it out again.
6. Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet with their sides touching. Bake for 12 minutes, until they have puffed, spread slightly, turned a little craggy on top, and taken on a light golden, toasted color.
7. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the biscuits with melted butter. Move them from the pan to a baking rack to cool, or eat them right away while they’re hot.