Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups barley flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits; plus 3 tablespoons, melted
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse both flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt, until just combined. Add cold butter; pulse just until mixture is the texture of coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add buttermilk. Pulse just until dough is moistened, 3 to 4 times (do not overmix).
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch square. Fold dough in half and use your hands to shape into a square again. Fold in half and shape into an 8-inch square, about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, trim about 1/8 inch of dough from each side, then cut into 9 equal squares.
Transfer biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until biscuits are golden, 17 to 18 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Biscuits are best the day they’re made but can be kept in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 day.)
