Crusty Buttermilk Biscuits

Name: Crusty Buttermilk Biscuits
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 5 cups sifted White Lily flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (sift before measuring); 1 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder (preferably homemade; see recipe ); 1 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 1/2 cup cold lard; 1 1 1/2 cups well-shaken cold buttermilk; 1 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 melted

From the kitchen of Carly

Tall, tender buttermilk biscuits with shatteringly crisp exteriors and flaky layers throughout. Lard and cold butter create those signature gaps between layers, while high heat and proper technique give you golden-brown tops that practically shatter under your fork.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

15 cups sifted White Lily flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
11 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder (preferably homemade; see recipe )
11 tablespoon kosher salt
11/2 cup cold lard
11 1/2 cups well-shaken cold buttermilk
13 tablespoons unsalted butter
1melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add lard, coating it with flour, then rub between your fingertips until coarsely blended with some 1/2-inch lumps.
Make a well in flour mixture, then add buttermilk, stirring just until a dough forms (it will be soft and sticky). Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 8 to 10 times. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round (1/2 inch thick) and, using a fork dipped in flour, prick all the way through about every 1/2 inch.
Cut out as many rounds as possible with a 2 1/2- to 3-inch round cookie/biscuit cutter dipped in flour (do not twist cutter).
Bake, almost touching, on an ungreased heavy baking sheet, rotating sheet after about 6 minutes if browning unevenly, until crusty and golden-brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter and serve warm or at room temperature.