Airy Angel Biscuits

These light and airy angel biscuits differ from other biscuit recipes in that they call for yeast, which lends them a unique taste and ethereal texture. Also joining the party is a combination of baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk, which further contribute to their lightness. Martha prefers to use a food processor to work the butter into half of the dry ingredients, which cuts down on the time it would normally take to incorporate it using a pastry cutter or your fingers. This helps keep the butter cold, which leads to a flaky, irresistible biscuit. Serve them simply accompanied by softened butter and your favorite jam, or make like Martha and fill each with a thin slice of salty country ham and a swipe of tangy mustard for a two-bite appetizer that guests will devour.

Equipment (and Swaps) for Making Angel Biscuits

Sifter: You'll need a sifter or fine-mesh sieve to sift the dry ingredients before working in the butter. Don't skip this step—it helps to remove any lumps while also incorporating air into the flour.

Food processor: A food processor makes quick work of incorporating the butter into the dry ingredients. To avoid having to do this in multiple batches—this recipe calls for five cups of flour—Martha only incorporates the butter into half of the flour mixture, then combines that with the remaining dry ingredients.

Alternative: If you don't have a food processor, try grating the butter on the large holes of a box grater, then freezing it for 10 to 15 minutes before working it into the flour mixture.

Large bowl: Given the volume of the dough, it's essential to use an extra-large mixing bowl to combine the wet and dry ingredients before kneading. Using too small a bowl will make it difficult to adequately incorporate the various components, and this will mean more kneading in the next step. Alternative: If you don't have a large enough mixing bowl, use a large serving bowl or even a pot instead.

Rolling pin: You'll need a rolling pin to roll the soft, tender dough to a half-inch thickness before cutting it into rounds.

Alternative: In a pinch, you can use a clean, label-free wine bottle or a large glass tumbler instead.

Biscuit cutter: We prefer to cut these biscuits into petite rounds using a one-and-one-half-inch biscuit cutter, especially if we'll be serving them as an appetizer. Flouring the edges of the biscuit cutter after every few cuts can keep the dough from sticking. If you'd prefer larger biscuits, you can certainly use a different size biscuit cutter instead, you may need to bake the dough for a minute or two longer.

Alternative: Don't have a rolling pin? You can use a small glass or bowl in a pinch—be sure to flour it's edges just as you would the biscuit cutter.

Baking sheet: You'll need a buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet to bake these tender, lightly golden bites. While the first round of biscuits is baking—you should be able to fit 30 or so rounds on your baking sheet—you can gently roll out the scraps and cut out the remaining biscuits for round two.