Buttermilk Biscuits

Adapted from this NYT Cooking recipe.

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 sticks salted, cultured butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk, chilled
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

Using a pastry cutter or fork, quickly cut butter into flour mixture until it forms pea-size crumbs and is uniformly mixed. (For flaky biscuits, you want the butter to remain cold. TIP: I got tired of trying to cut up the butter among the dry ingredients so I actually put my whole mixture in a food processor and pulsed it a few times. Worked like a charm.) Make a well in center of mixture and pour in buttermilk. Stir together until it just forms a moist, slightly tacky dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 or 3 times, then pat out into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut the biscuits. Do not twist the cutter; doing so prevents proper rising. To prevent sticking, dip the cutter lightly in flour between biscuits. Also, do not reroll scraps, but pat them together and cut into rounds. Transfer biscuits to baking sheet.

Whisk egg and milk together with a fork. Generously brush egg wash on top of each biscuit. Bake until brown, 15 minutes. Serve hot.