This recipe is adapted from Once Upon a Chef — Jennifer Segal’s recipe. The technique of patting out the dough, cutting in thirds, stacking and repeating makes these biscuits very flaky — layering the butter into the dough the way you do with croissants.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp each: granulated sugar and salt
¼ tsp baking soda
10 tbsp cold butter, cut in ½ inch/1 cm cubes
¾ cup buttermilk (approx)

Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In bowl of food processor, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized bits of butter. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.

Add buttermilk; using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until shaggy dough forms. If dough seems too dry, add a few more tablespoons buttermilk. Do not overmix.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Dust top of dough with a bit more flour; bring together gently into loose ball. Pat dough into rectangle about ¾ inch/2 cm thick.

Using sharp knife, cut dough crosswise into thirds. Stack pieces on top of one another; pat out into rectangle about ¾ inch/2 cm thick again, flouring work surface lightly if necessary to prevent dough from sticking.

Cut dough into thirds again. Stack pieces on top of one another; pat out into rectangle with final thickness of about ¾ inch/2 cm.

Dust blade of knife with flour; cut dough into 12 even squares (they will seem small). Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake in centre of oven for 13 minutes or until lightly golden on top and golden brown on bottom.

Best served warm, but you can revive day-old biscuits with a few minutes in a hot oven.

Makes 12 biscuits.