I’m not much of a baker. Elaborate minion shaped cakes dressed in colourful fondant is very much out of my reach. Dreams of one day being a celebrated boulanger have long ago ended and I’ve come to enjoy my small baking accomplishments.

One such accomplishment comes in the success of memorizing and mastering my own take on buttermilk tea biscuits. On days when fresh baked goods are only a few dry ingredients away, it’s best to give in and preheat the oven. This is my simplest recipe for days like those.

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  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl. Slice the butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture. (I used my hands to coarsely blend the butter and dry ingredients). Pour buttermilk into bowl. If the dough mixture is still very dry, add a touch more buttermilk. Sprinkle your prep surface with flour and turn the dough out of the bowl. Using your hands, gently pat the dough to about 1/2″ thickness and knead it, folding the dough onto itself a few times. A round cutter or the lip of a glass cup will act as a stencil to cut the round biscuits from the dough. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, until biscuits are a golden brown. If you like softer edges to your biscuits, pack them closely together on the sheet, otherwise an inch or so apart will let them get a little crispier. And last but not least, cool them off a tad, maybe split one open for some melted butter tastiness, and enjoy!