Buttermilk biscuits with honey butter

Tender buttermilk biscuits are heavenly spread with sweet homemade honey butter. You won’t be able to eat just one!

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Growing up, my grandmother and I would often head to Newtown, Connecticut, to visit cousins, drop by the family plot at the cemetery and pick up baked goods from the local bakery. It’s a town that became synonymous for me with family — and especially my family’s history.

Ten years ago, when it came time to purchase a home, I headed to Newtown. It seemed right.

And it’s probably apropos that I learned to cook there, and eventually became a professional recipe developer. After all, the kitchen in my family’s Newtown home, which still stands near the center of town, was something of family legend. Although it’s a term seldom used anymore, the moulding board — a board used for kneading dough — was something I could practically touch in my mind’s eye.

I heard the stories of the pies with flaky crusts, tender breads and other goodies that came from that kitchen. And though I never experienced it myself, whenever I make biscuits, it brings me a little closer to the kitchen there. I have a certain cutting board that’s reserved for this purpose, and in my head that my own personal moulding board. It’s a little connection to home that stays with me — wherever I am living.

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Biscuits are among my favorite things to bake. I love the feel of the dough, and the way a few simple ingredients are kneaded, rolled and rise in the oven.

My buttermilk biscuits take less than 30 minutes to make — from start to finish. And a quick brush with butter before sliding them into the oven gives them a golden finish that is so pretty — and tasty.

The trick with ensuring biscuits rise well is to push the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and lift it straight up. Twisting the cutter cinches the edges, which prevents rising. That’s one of the reasons I often use fluted cutters for biscuits — it prevents me from accidentally twisting during the cutting process.

Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter

As for the honey butter, it’s a sweet, buttery spread that you’ll practically want to eat with a spoon. Best of all, it couldn’t be easier. You just whip together softened salted butter and honey. Choose good butter — I am a big fan of Kate’s of Maine. And local honey has its advantages too — especially if you have allergies. It’s said to help build your immunity to local allergens if you eat a little bit of it regularly.

Tender biscuits, sweet honey butter and memories of home. Does it get any better?

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Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter
yields 17 biscuits (with a 2-inch cutter)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salted butter, melted

Honey Butter:

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine, until moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead gently for 10-15 seconds to bring the dough together. Dust with additional flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits out, re-kneading and rolling the dough as needed.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Slide into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and honey until fluffy — about 2 minutes.

Serve the warm biscuits with the honey butter. Enjoy!

Sarah Walker Caron

About Sarah Walker Caron

Sarah Walker Caron is editor of Bangor Metro magazine and senior features editor for the Bangor Daily News. She is the author of "The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook," (Sept. 2018, Rockridge Press) and the co-author of "Grains as Mains: Modern Recipes Using Ancient Grains" (March 2015, DK). Her recipes have appeared in the BDN, Betty Crocker publications, Glamour.com and more. She also writes about food at www.sarahscucinabella.com.