Biscuits: Blueberry Biscuits

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  • 6
  • 10 mins
  • 22 mins

Ingredients

  • Biscuits:
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. table salt
  • 1/3 Cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard, well chilled and cut into small chunks
  • 2 Tbsp. salted butter, well chilled and grated on a box grater
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. buttermilk
  • 3 oz of blueberries (fresh or dried)
  • Melted Butter (for muffin tops after baking)
  • Glaze:
  • 1 Cup of powdered sugar
  • 1/8 Cup of water
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp of lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large, preferably shallow bowl. Add the shortening and butter to the dry ingredients. Combine with a pastry blender or 2 table knives just until a coarse meal forms. Add dried blueberries. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. With your fingers (or a wooden spoon) and using just a few swift strokes, blend the dough just until combined (it will be a sticky mess; this is fine). Turn it out onto the floured cutting board. Wash, dry, and flour your hands.

Gently pat out the dough and fold it back over itself about half a dozen times, just until smooth. Pat it out again, this time
into a round or oval that’s an even 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick. Wrap the dough lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough with a sharp biscuit cutter-avoid twisting the cutter-trying to get as many rounds as possible (the dough will toughen a bit each time you work it).
Lightly pat the remaining dough scraps together, pat down evenly, and cut again. Arrange the biscuits at least 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the biscuits, rotating the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even cooking-until they’re raised and golden brown (10 to
12 minutes total for 3-inch biscuits; 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch biscuits).

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, and paint finished biscuits with pastry brush. Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl, and drizzle over Blueberry Biscuits with a fork.