Buttermilk Angel Biscuits

Name: Buttermilk Angel Biscuits
Yield: makes about 3 dozen biscuits
Ingredients: 1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°F); 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast; 1/4 cup sugar; 6 cups White Lily or other Southern all-purpose flour (see page 206), plus more for rolling; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 cup solid vegetable shortening, preferably Crisco, cut into bits; 2 cups buttermilk; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

December 9, 2011

Angel biscuits are lighter than traditional buttermilk biscuits because they contain yeast as well as the usual baking powder, baking soda, or both. The yeast gives them an extra push as well as another layer of flavor. Traditional biscuits can be intimidating to novice bakers, especially if first efforts yielded rock-hard results, not light and tender biscuits. The trio of leaveners protects even the worst of bakers from abject failure. This dough is also appealing because it can be prepared ahead of time and held in the refrigerator for three to five days (baking powder and baking soda alone would have long lost their “oomph”). This holding power lets you pinch off a bit of dough at a time to make a few fresh biscuits during the week. It’s also a heck of a lot better than the preservative- and chemical-laden tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough.

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