The perfect southern biscuit: NOT mission impossible

Chef Ken assigned us a project: a demo. As we go through the different cuisines of the Americas, we have been talking a lot about authenticity. Authenticity, just as cuisines, changes, so what makes a dish authentic? Therefore, each person in my class has to present a dish that is authentic to them - a traditional family dish. We have 5-10 minutes to introduce the dish and do a quick food network style demo on how to prepare it, and then have a sample of the final product for the whole class and the chef. It might come as a shock to you but I wanted to prepare something very southern, and something that we did not cover in the class section on the south. After much debate, I decided to make biscuits and gravy - the ultimate comfort meal.

Now everyone is very aware of where I come from, so if I present biscuits they better be DARN good biscuits. Thats why i have spent all of yesterday and today baking biscuits, tweaking recipes til I get the perfect southern biscuit. After baking a few dozen, I can now say with 100% confidence that I have mastered it! Because I love yall, i decided to share. Many people fear biscuit making - they are sensitive and delicate but man are homemade biscuits impressive, and if you follow all these steps, i guarantee you will put that Pillsbury can to shame!

The two most important things in making the perfect biscuit:
1 - the fats must be ICECOLD. If the fat, whether it be shortening or butter, is not cold when you work it in you will not have lite and fluffy biscuits. Little pieces of fat dispersed throughout your dough will melt in the oven, and the steam that the little pieces create assists with the rise.
2 - DO NOT OVERWORK YOUR DOUGH. Mix it until it is JUST combined, or it will be dense and chewy - a bunch of mixing will just activate the gluten in the flour and thats not a good thing.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup cold shortening (like crisco)
1 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter

* Preheat oven to 450.
* Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
* Add the crisco and using your fingers, work it into the dry ingredients. Try to do this quickly as to not melt the shortening. Break up the shortening, rubbing it into the flour, til the pieces are about rice size, no bigger than a pea.
* Pour in the cold buttermilk, and gently combine. As soon as the dough comes together, STOP - literally just a few seconds of mixing or it will be overmixed.
* Plop the dough onto a floured surface and roll it or pat it to about 1 inch thick. Then fold the dough in half and even it up. (This fold will create an air pocket which will result in flaky layers!)
* Cut the dough into squares or circles - squares will have no scraps; circles will - you can reform the scraps to make more circular biscuits, but this dough will be overworked and result in tougher denser biscuits. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet so that they are just touching.
* Using a pastry brush, brush a little melted butter on each biscuit.
* Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 - baking times can vary so keep an eye on the biscuits! Pull them when they are a little golden brown on top.

That's it yall! Now you have glorious buttermilk biscuits. Spread a little butter on em, smother em in gravy, sandwich them with country ham n eggs, whatever you do be proud and enjoy!