Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar (or sugar sub). Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to work the butter into the flour mixture. You want it to look like like a course meal with the butter worked in evenly.

Pour 1 cup buttermilk into butter and flour mixture and stir with a spoon for about 20 seconds. If dough seems dry, drizzle in more buttermilk and work the dough until it just comes together and is cohesive. Keep in mind that you may not need all the buttermilk. Be careful not to overwork dough.

Fold the dough in thirds (like a piece of paper before you put it in an envelope) and then use the rolling pin to roll to 3/4" thick again, this will give you those flaky layers

Cut as many biscuits as you can with biscuit cutter (I have on occasion used the top of a drinking glass). The reshape the dough and cut again. You should have 12 biscuits.

Place your biscuits about a 1/4 apart and bottom side up on parchment covered cookie sheet. Brush the tops with buttermilk. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 425 and place oven rack in upper third position

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and cooked in the center. Serve with butter, jam or my orange pomegranate butter (linked in blog post above)