Parslied Buttermilk Biscuits
Submitted by tommack
Parslied buttermilk biscuits baked at 500F for a golden crust and fluffy, tender center. No rolling pin, no cutting, just hand-shaped drop biscuits with fresh parsley in under 30 minutes.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThese are drop biscuits, not rolled-and-cut biscuits, and the difference matters. Instead of rolling out dough and stamping shapes, you pull off wet chunks, give them a quick flour coating, and gently shape them into rough balls. The result is a biscuit with a craggy, golden exterior and a soft, steamy, almost cloud-like interior.
The secret to tender biscuits is a wet dough and minimal handling. Pour the buttermilk in all at once, stir with a fork just until it holds together, and stop. The dough should look shaggy, wet, and lumpy. If it looks smooth, you’ve overworked it and the biscuits will be tough.
Cutting the shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse meal creates little fat pockets throughout the dough. In the screaming hot 500F oven, those pockets melt rapidly and create steam, which pushes the dough layers apart and gives the biscuits their rise and flakiness.
Fresh chopped parsley stirred into the flour adds flecks of green throughout and a subtle herbal freshness that lifts these above plain buttermilk biscuits.
Place them so they just touch on the sheet. Biscuits that touch rise higher because they push against each other instead of spreading outward.
Pro Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold shortening makes flakier biscuits. If your kitchen is warm, chill the flour briefly before cutting in the fat.
- Flour your hands generously before handling the wet dough. It will stick to everything otherwise.
- Flatten each ball slightly after placing on the sheet. This ensures even baking and a more uniform shape.
- Eight to ten minutes at 500F is all it takes. Pull them when the tops are golden brown.
Variations
- Add shredded sharp cheddar and a pinch of cayenne to the dough for cheesy biscuits.
- Swap parsley for fresh chives or dill for a different herb flavor.
- Brush the tops with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven for a softer, richer crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.
Sift 1½ cups of the flour and the salt into a large bowl, set remaining flour aside in a small bowl.
Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal; stir in the chopped parsley.
Pour in the buttermilk all at once and stir with a fork until the mixture just holds together.
Do not overwork; the dough should be wet and a little lumpy.
Flour hands with reserved flour and pull of a ¼ cup piece of wet dough.
Toss the dough lightly in the bowl of flour to coat; roll gently into a smooth ball between palms of hands.
The inside of the biscuit will still be very wet; place biscuit carefully on the prepared cookie sheet.
Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough, flouring the hands as necessary and placing the formed biscuits on the cookie sheet so they just touch.
Pat each biscuit gently to flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
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