Light Buttermilk Biscuits

So after a few more...unique posts (but delicious, I promise!), how about some biscuits? Nice, normal biscuits.

I love biscuits (and homemade bread in general). And I also happen to love that these use less butter than a typical biscuit recipe (5 tablespoons instead of the usual 8) but still turned out flaky and soft.  They are sweeter, thanks to the addition of honey -- I might cut back on the honey a bit next time to see how they turn out.  Mine didn't rise quite as high as the original recipe touted (perhaps because of all my tweaks and substitutions) but that didn't matter - they were still delicious.

We loved these as a side at dinner, an afternoon snack, and topped with an egg for breakfast.  I might try freezing some next time but this batch certainly didn't last long in our house.

Buttermilk Biscuits
Taken from: Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Makes 12-14 biscuits

• 9 oz (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 
• 3/4 cup cold buttermilk (I used leftover whey; you can also do a buttermilk substitute)
• 3 tablespoons honey (I will reduce to 2 tablespoons next time)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter cubes, and use a pastry cutter (or your fingertips, if you'd rather) to cut in the butter until the pieces are no bigger than peas - the mixture should resemble coarse meal. Stick the bowl in your refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the buttermilk and honey in a measuring cup. Add to the bowl with the butter/flour mixture and stir gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 3-4 times to bring it together. The dough may still be a little crumbly, that's fine. Roll the dough into a 9x5-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (using the long sides of the rectangle). Once again, roll the dough into a 9x5-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick, and again fold it into thirds like a letter. Roll the dough out to 3/4-inch thickness (the shape doesn't really matter). Using a 1 3/4-inch round cutter (I used a small drinking glass that was probably closer to 2 1/2 inches), cut biscuits from the dough -- don't twist the cutter, use a straight up and straight down motion.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. (I gathered the scraps and cut more biscuits once or twice to get as many as possible.)
5. Bake for about 11-12 minutes, or until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown on top. Remove the baking sheet and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve warm. Or, if you won't be serving immediately, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds when you are ready.