Comforting sighs for edible pillows.

They fit in the hand, soft, fluffy, perhaps a little crumbly. Splitting them open a waft of flavorful steam ascends to the nostrils. You breathe in and immediately the comforting feeling begins; an all over embrace and then you sigh.

Whether they are smeared with jams, jellies, flavored butters, sweet butter, gravy or just plain; the buttermilk biscuit is one of the ultimate comfort foods. They fill the mind with childhood memories that bring a smile to your face; a dreamy eyed look upon the face.

Stress melts off the shoulders just as the butter oozes down the sides of that little pillow you are munching upon. Problems don't go away, but at least they'll be easier to deal with later on. So help yourself to a buttermilk biscuit, relax and just enjoy the moment...or two...heck, three of those little beauties might be the answer.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½” pieces
¾ to 1 cup cold buttermilk
¼ cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp butter, melted, used for brushing

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425F; oven rack should be in center of oven.

Sift into a large bowl flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; cut the cold butter into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal; small pieces of uncut butter should be visible. Using a fork, stir in ¾ cup buttermilk and heavy cream until the mixture forms a sticky ball; if still dry, gradually add in remaining ¼ cup buttermilk.

Place the dough on a floured board; work it between hands to smooth out the ball. Roll the dough out to 1 ½” thick; cut out 3” circles using a biscuit cutter or a glass. Place the circles on an ungreased baking sheet. Any dough left can be reformed and cut into circles.

Brush tops with melted butter; bake for 10-15 minutes; until biscuits rise and are golden brown. If desired, brush with additional melted butter before serving.

Makes 12-15 biscuits.

Mary Cokenour