6 3/4 c Unbleached flour
3 tb Baking powder; plus
2 ts Baking powder
3 tb Sugar
1 tb Salt
1/2 lb Unsalted butter; plus
5 tb Chilled unsalted butter; cut
-in 1/4″ cubes
1/4 c Chopped chives; (optional)
2 1/2 c Lowfat 1% buttermilk
1 Egg
2 tb Heavy cream
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt
together with a whisk. With your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the
butter with the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse oatmeal. Fold in
the chives. The dough can be made in advance up to this point; keep it
covered and refrigerated for up to two days.
Fold in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix
the batter. Pull off the dough in loosely packed handfuls (about 1/3 cup
each), and drop the dough on two 14- by 16-inch parchment-lined baking
sheets. If the dough at the bottom of the bowl seems too dry, add
additional drops of buttermilk.
In a small bowl, make the egg wash by combining the egg and the heavy cream
with a fork. Brush the wash over each biscuit with a pastry brush. Bake the
biscuits for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 to 6
minutes, until biscuits are lightly browned. Serve the biscuits warm with
butter or homemade jam.
Yields
24 servings