Black Pepper Biscuits

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces, plus
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, cold
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper, not super fine and not course, somewhere in between

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the over to 450 degrees F.

2. 2

   Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, combine until ingredients are incorporated. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture and continue to combine until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and combine until the mixture just begins to come together.

3. 3

   Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pat the dough into a 10 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits. Press together the scraps of dough, and repeat process. Place the biscuits on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter.