Day 3 of my tribute to Dolly Parton by sharing her recipes & today is a good one! There’s something extra special about an old-fashioned Southern biscuit recipe, especially when it comes straight from Dolly Parton. These homemade buttermilk biscuits are simple, tender and made the old-fashioned way with just a handful of pantry staples.

Dolly’s recipe uses lard or vegetable shortening instead of butter, along with plenty of buttermilk. The dough gets a short rest in the refrigerator before baking, which makes these an easy little addition to breakfast, dinner or a big Southern-style holiday meal.

Serve them warm with butter, honey or your favorite preserves — or split one open and cover it with country gravy.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour as needed
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
2. Cut in the lard or shortening with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Pour in the buttermilk and gently work the dough together with your hands. If the dough feels overly sticky, add a little additional flour.
4. Gently knead the dough for about 2 minutes.
5. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
7. Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it to about ½-inch thick.
8. Cut the dough into biscuits using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Gather and reroll the scraps as needed.
9. Arrange the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
10. Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden.

Makes approximately 2 dozen biscuits.

A Little Dolly Tip

These can also be made ahead. Once baked and cooled, wrap the biscuits tightly and freeze them for up to two weeks.

Recipe adapted from Dolly Parton’s published “Dolly’s Biscuits” recipe.