Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.  Stir briefly to combine.
2. Sprinkle the diced butter over the dry ingredient mixture. Use a pastry cutter or two forks (or a food processor*) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is well-mixed and forms pea-sized chunks of butter.
3. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir until the dough until it is just combined.  (Try to avoid over-mixing the dough.)
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Use your hands to quickly shape the dough into a small rectangle.  Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out evenly until it is about 1/2-inch thick.
5. Then fold the dough on top of itself into thirds (like you are folding an envelope, see image above). Rotate the dough 90 degrees.  Then repeat the folding process a second time, rotate, repeat the folding process a third time, rotate.
6. Roll the dough out once more into a roughly 10 x 5-inch rectangle.  Then use a 2 to 2.5-inch biscuit cutter to firmly cut the dough into 8 circles, taking care not to twist the biscuit cutter at all when cutting the dough, and arrange the biscuits evenly on the prepared baking sheet.*  If you would like, re-roll the remaining dough scraps and cut out 1 or 2 more biscuits.
7. Heat the oven to 450°F (232°C).  And transfer the biscuits to your freezer or refrigerator for 15 minutes as the oven heats.
8. Once the oven is ready to go, bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes, or until they achieve your desired level of browning on top.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack.  Then, if you would like, brush the tops of the biscuits with some melted butter and sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
9. Serve warm and enjoy!