The Appalachian Tale Jimmy Proffitt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Before working dough, place your pan or skillet into the preheating oven with 1/4 cup butter in it to heat up and brown the butter while you make the biscuits. Keep an eye on it so you don't burn the butter, but brown it.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into cubes and combine with the flour mixture, tossing to coat all the butter cubes. With your fingers, flatten each cube of butter, working flour into the butter as you do. Continue until the butter is incorporated into the flour with large and small bits of butter throughout. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Mix from the inside out, pulling flour into the wet until it no longer pulls flour in. It will be a shaggy, lumpy dough at this point, with loose flour and bits.

Dump all of it out on to a lightly floured counter or a board and work it lightly until it comes together, but don’t over work it. Roll or pat into a rectangle about an inch thick. Fold or cut dough into 3rds, stack the 3rds, and roll again. Repeat once more and roll to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits into rounds or squares and work the remaining scraps gently until all are cut.

When cutting biscuits, you can use a biscuit cutter, bench scraper, a glass, knife, or anything you choose. I often grab a glass if I can’t find my biscuit cutter. Whatever you use, when cutting go straight down and back up. Do not twist or slide your cutter through the dough. This will bind the layers you made, limiting how high your biscuits can rise. Flour your cutter too as needed so it cuts through easily.

Remove pan from the oven and place the biscuits in the browned butter. Return to the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. When the biscuits are done, melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter and brush or pour over them. Serve immediately.

Makes 8-10 biscuits, depending on size of your biscuits.