Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits

One of the best smells in the world to me is the smell of bread baking. The smell of yeast bread especially. It is comforting, inviting, and literally makes my mouth water. Honestly, I love anything carb related. It is a terrible and most annoying desire, especially when we do our best to eat gluten/grain free. Yeast breads just aren't on the menu (but then again neither are these biscuits). 

The week before Addie was born I took Emory to the library to have some alone time before life got just a bit more busy. We played and read books, and picked out 5 books for him to take home. Then, as usual, I go to the cookbook section and look around to see if there are any books to give me a burst of inspiration. There were not a whole lot of books on the shelf but the one that stuck out to me was by Emeril Lagasse, a book called "Farm to Fork", that features recipes made seasonally and with local farmers market ingredients. Normally Emeril would never interest me, but this book is amazing. I made a roasted beet salad last week with dandelion greens and rainbow chard with a walnut dressing that was AMAZING! These biscuits were also in the book, and I am always looking for ways to use up fresh rosemary since we have insane amounts in our garden and never seem to make a dent to it. They are technically scones, but mine turned out more biscuits like and were out of this world! I can honestly say they were the best biscuits I have ever tasted. The orange zest and Rosemary just perfectly perfume the biscuits and give them a light and sophisticated flavor. Although they are not the healthiest recipe to make it on this blog, it is sure one of the best! 

Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits
These are very easy to make and require few ingredients, and are perfect for a dinner party or simply perfect for your mouth...p.s they are delicious fresh from the oven!
Makes 12-14 biscuits depending on size

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

in a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the orange zest and rosemary, and combine with a fork. Add the butter and work it into the flour with your fingers , a pastry blender, or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add the 1 cup buttermilk and stir with a fork until the ingredients are just moistened. Gather the dough together and press it gently into a rough ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it together. The dough may still be a crumbly mass. Knead the dough gently six to seven times; then use your hands to shape it into a rectangle measuring about 7 by 4 inches. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 1/2 x 7-inch rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter (or round cutter) cut out biscuits and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Serve warm.