Angel Biscuits

I got this one from Cooking Light, September 2007. They are so light and fluffy, and the best part is that you can make the dough hours before you want the biscuits and then just roll them out when you are ready for them.

ANGEL BISCUITS:
2 1/4 tsp yeast (I won't lie, I round up to 1 Tablespoon. Laziness, I guess.)
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter, divided

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; level with a knife (don't pack it in or you will be sorry.)
3. Combine flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles a course meal. (Burke- go buy a pastry cutter/blender. They are anywhere that sells housewares, even Walmart. It should only set you back 5 or 6 bucks and you'll be using it again later when I tell you how to make pie crust.) Add yeast mixture and buttermilk to flour mixture- stir just until moist. (Seriously. Just until moist. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough. It will look a little lumpy, and that's okay.)
4. Cover and chill anywhere from 4-24 hours.

When you are ready for some hot and tasty rolls, preheat the oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, knead it just a couple of times, then roll it out to about a 1" thickness. It doesn't need to be exact- leave your measuring tape in the garage. Cut with a round cookie cutter or drinking glass and place on cookie sheet. Brush tops with melted better, bake for 12 or 13 minutes. Yields about 2 dozen biscuits.

A word about yeast: Save yourself some stress and buy SAF instant yeast. It comes in a red, white, and blue vacuum packed bag. Store it in a tupperware in the freezer. SAF yeast is more tolerant to heat, so you don't need to worry about "killing" the yeast with water that is too hot.

And now a word about buttermilk: Just go ahead and buy a quart of it. It lasts forever and I use it all the time.