Buttermilk biscuits in a cast iron skillet

Butter Dipped Buttermilk Biscuits

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If you want fluffy, buttery, homemade biscuits that don’t require tediously cutting the butter into the flour, look no further. This family secret recipe is quick to make and uses a revolutionary technique of dipping the cut-out dough pieces in sizzling hot butter before baking them in a screaming hot oven. The results is a delicious biscuit that is perfect for any meal of the day!

This magical recipe was handed down from my husband’s grandmother, and perhaps she was gifted it from her elders. I’ve never seen another like it, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why, because once you know the trick, this is such an easy and crazy-quick way to make delicious biscuits.

The secret is two-fold. First, you need heat. Serious heat. Before you begin mixing the dough, put your favorite cast iron skillet or baking pan of choice into the oven and heat it to 450°F/230°C. The oven needs to be hot, and the pan needs to be hot or the biscuits won’t rise to glorious heights.

Then, sprinkle the baking soda into your buttermilk and set it aside while you measure the dry ingredients. I’ve found it easiest to just mix the dough directly on the counter, like you would for pasta dough. So pile the flour, baking powder, and salt onto the counter, make a well in the center, and pour most of the buttermilk/soda mixture into the well. Use a fork and your hands to start mixing everything together, switching to a bench scraper or metal spatula as the mixture turns into a dough. Work quickly. If you need a bit more buttermilk, add enough to form a stiff dough that you can pat out to about 1″ thick with your hands. Then cut out your biscuit rounds – it’s ok to re-form the dough a couple of times to use up as much of it as you can.

Now for the fun part. Pull your hot pan out of the oven and set it on a trivet or other heat-proof surface near where you rolled the dough out, and put a folded tea towel under one end to tilt the pan slightly. Then drop some butter into the pan to melt. As soon as it’s mostly melted (should happen very quickly), it’s time for the butter dip. Take each round of dough, and dip one side in the butter, then flip it over so the buttered side is up and place it in the top of the pan. Continue doing this until all the dough circles are in the pan, then bake for 12-15 minutes until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown. Watch the video linked above (it’s only 1 minute long) to see this marvelous butter dip process in action. Then get in your kitchen and try it yourself.

You’ll never cut butter into your biscuits again!

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