RECIPE: Scratch Biscuits

• 4 cups of flour, plus a little more for the work surface
  
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) salted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  
• 2 large eggs, beaten
  
• 2 T of sugar
  
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (OR 1 1/2 cup milk and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar)
• 2 T of olive oil for brushing
  

Directions

• Stir in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in 1½ cups buttermilk until the dough comes together into a sticky mass. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until it reaches the correct consistency. 
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. 
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Use your floured hands to press it into a round roughly 14 inches across and no more than a 1/2 inch thick.
• Use a floured 2 3/4- inch round cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. If necessary, collect and push out the scraps to cut more biscuits.
• Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, arranging them so that they all have a small space between each biscuit. Brush the top of each biscuit with oil.
• Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a rack.
• Biscuits are best the day they are made.