Buttermilk Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450F and grease a baking sheet.

Sift 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Add 7 tablespoons butter, working with your fingers, until the mixture has no lumps.

Stir in the buttermilk and let the mixture stand for a few minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup flour on a board or waxed paper. Dip your hands into the flour, then scoop up the wet dough, adding only enough flour to make it manageable. Pat the dough into a rectangle about ½-inch thick on the floured surface. Dip a 2-inch glass or a cookie cutter into the flour and then into the dough, cutting the circles and placing them on the baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough, molding any scraps into circles. Prick the tops of biscuits with the tines of a fork.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan or the microwave and brush biscuits with the melted butter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.