The Great Biscuit Experiment 04: The Winner! Angel Biscuits!

*Method:
Yeast, freezing, lard and butter

Oh Lord, this biscuit is exactly what I was looking for. It does take more time to execute, but is it ever worth it! A little crunch on the outside gives way to a moist and tender interior. Light, fluffy, buttery, great for re-heating, you can add more butter or leave it as it is, you can use jam or nutella or cinnamon sugar. Whatever you like!
I found this recipe all over the web and the variety of amounts for the ingredients was all over the place, especially when it came to the amount of fat. I finally decided to go with King Arthur's version of the recipe because they provided a great step by step photo guide. They also suggested freezing the biscuits after they've had a chance to rise to let the butter and lard chill up again for extra rise. I was a little worried about putting frozen biscuits in the hot oven, but it worked like a charm.

Although, I'm fairly certain I won't find a better biscuit recipe, I am going to try another using a Southern flour to see if the softer wheat and lower gluten content does indeed live up to the biscuit-hype.

Angel Biscuits or Bride Biscuits adapted from the King Arthur website.

1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup (1 5/8 ounces) lard
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk (room temp, well-shaken)

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1/4 cup of the flour. Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, the sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the shortening and the butter, mixing until everything's rough and crumbly. Add the milk to the yeast mixture, and pour this all at once into the dry ingredients. Fold together gently until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and becomes cohesive. Sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of water only if necessary to make the dough hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat it gently into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle; it'll be about 3/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into fifteen 2-inch round biscuits. Gather, re-roll and cut the scraps, if desired; the resulting biscuits will probably be a bit tougher. Place the biscuits on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them lightly, and allow them to rise for 1 hour, or until they've increased in size by about a third. (The biscuits may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight at this point, or frozen for later use.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Uncover the biscuits, and place the pan in the top third of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The biscuits are done when golden brown on the top and bottom. Yield: about fifteen 2-inch biscuits.