Fluffy Biscuits

The recipes comes from the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe cookbook. These biscuits are exactly as the name implies - fluffy! I actually said aloud, "Wow, these are so fluffy!" when I bit into one! They are delicious and had my kids begging for more (with honey on it!!!)...This is a simple, no frills recipe that produces perfect, buttery biscuits! Enjoy with soups, chilli, or for sandwiches.

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. plain cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbl (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3/4 c. cold buttermilk (a tablespoon or two extra might be necessary if biscuit dough is too dry)
2 Tbl butter, melted (for brushing on biscuit tops right before cooking)

Preheat oven to 450F with oven rack adjusted to the middle position.

Mix or pulse flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. With your fingertips, or a pastry blender, or the steel blade of the food processor, mix, cut or process butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. (FYI, I did it all by hand...it wasn't that time consuming...a little messy, yes...but, easy enough!)

If making by hand, stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula or fork until mixture forms into a soft, slightly sticky ball. If dough feels firm and dry bits are not gathering into a ball, sprinkle dough clumps with an additional tablespoon of buttermilk. Be careful not to overmix. If using food processor, pulse until dough gathers into moist clumps. Remove from food processor bowl and form into rough ball.

With lightly floured hands, divide dough into 12 equal portions, Lightly pat a portion of dough back and forth a few times between floured hands until it begins to form a ball, then pat lightly with cupped hands to form a rough ball. Repeat with remaining dough, placing formed dough rounds 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush dough tops with melted butter. Bake until biscuit tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately. These are SO good with honey!