biscuits and a 13 year process

 When hubby and I got married 13 years ago, I had a list in my head of a food items that I needed to figure out how to make really well.   They mostly involved carbohydrates.  I think, after all these years, I have biscuits checked off the list.  They are finally fluffy and tall, just like they should be.  

The problem was, for the first several years I was trying to go fat free, which just doesn't work.  Gravy either... we had a lot of bad dinners those first years.  When I switched to the philosophy that if it's really really good, it's worth a little longer longer run the next morning, I started making headway.  It's a good philosophy, by the way, much more enjoyable than eating rice cakes!  Not every treat is worth it.  Pumpkin pie- no.  Cheese cake- probably.  Fudge- generally.  Cadburry cream eggs- always.

So, the final thing that fell into place was when I ran out of lemon juice.  I had to make the buttermilk with vinegar.  I always used lemon juice for fear the vinegar would give it a funk flavor.  Turns out, it's not the case.  

So, here's what I've got:

Fluffy 13 year biscuits

Make butter milk:
3/4 milk
1 T vinegar- plain white kind.   Then refrigerate milk.
combine:
2 c flour
1 T bkg powder
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
Mix with a whisk and refrigerate at least a few minutes.
Cut up quickly with knife and add to flour mix:
1 stick butter
Using pastry blender/knife, cut butter into flour mix.  You're working on getting the butter quickly into pea sized pieces. 
Add buttermilk in at least three pours, blending gently with wooden spoon in between each.  You're working quickly here.  
Dump onto floured surface.  Working pretty quickly, get dough floured enough that you can roll it but not too dense with flour and not too warm from your hands.
Roll no thinner than 1 inch thick.  Think about that 1 inch, don't go too thin.  Cut with biscuit cutter or open end of a drinking glass.
I use a stone, but that's probably not a deal breaker.
Bake 450 for 10-12 minutes

This only makes 10-12 biscuits.  I don't double the ingredients, I make two batches if I need more.

To turn into scones, here's the only slightly different recipe (same method) and then add fruit or nuts or white chocolate chips while adding milk.  Cut into triangular wedges.  That must be what sets them apart from biscuits. 

Note:  I am writing this while on the treadmill.  Delivery pizza- worth it.