RIA’S BLUEBIRD BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

5 cups self-rising flour, plus more to flour

work surface

3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt

Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup vegetable shortening

1½ cups buttermilk, or as needed 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add shortening and use hands to blend shortening with flour mixture until the shortening forms pea-sized balls. Add buttermilk, mixing with hands to form the dough. Add more buttermilk if needed. You want a soft but not sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead lightly until it forms a mass. Pat it out into a 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 3-by-3-inch squares and arrange squares on prepared baking sheet. (Alternatively, pat the dough into a rectangle on the prepared baking sheet and cut it into 12 pieces directly on the sheet. Leaving the biscuits in the rectangle will help them rise a bit higher and produce biscuits with soft sides where they touch one another.) Brush tops of biscuits with the melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Makes 12.

Per biscuit: 302 calories (percentage of calories from fat, 34), 6 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 11 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 6 milligrams cholesterol, 846 milligrams sodium.

From the menu of ... Ria’s Bluebird, 421 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-521-3737, riasbluebird.com.