The first rule of biscuits is cold. Cold butter, cold buttermilk, cold hands if you can manage it. I keep a stick of butter in the freezer at all times and grate it on the big holes of a box grater straight into the flour. It is faster than cutting it in and it never gets warm.
For twelve biscuits: two cups of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of baking soda, one frozen stick of butter grated, and about three-quarters of a cup of buttermilk. Stir with a fork until it barely holds together. It should look shaggy. If it looks smooth you have worked it too hard.
Pat it out an inch thick, fold it over on itself three times, and pat it out again. Cut straight down with a floured glass and do not twist. Twisting seals the edges and they will not rise. Bake them touching each other at 450 degrees for twelve to fifteen minutes.
This is as far as the free sample goes — the rest of Biscuits for a Crowd is waiting for you.
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