Ham Biscuit

Make biscuit dough: Preheat oven to 425F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold cubed butter and cut in using a pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add buttermilk: Make a well in the center and pour in cold buttermilk. Stir with a fork until just combined - don't overmix! The dough should be shaggy.

Fold the dough: Turn dough onto a floured surface. Gently fold it over on itself 4-5 times - this creates the flaky layers. Pat to 3/4-inch thickness.

Cut biscuits: Using a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut straight down (don't twist!). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides touching - this helps them rise tall.

Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes until biscuits are tall and golden brown on top. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Prep the ham: While biscuits bake, heat butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, quickly fry country ham slices for 30-60 seconds per side until edges curl and color deepens.

Optional red-eye gravy: Deglaze the ham skillet with 1/4 cup strong black coffee for a traditional red-eye gravy to drizzle over the biscuits.

Split the biscuits: While still warm, split each biscuit in half horizontally using a fork (traditional) or knife. The rough-torn interior holds more butter!

Assemble: Add a pat of butter to the bottom biscuit half. Layer with 2-3 slices of warm country ham (fold to fit). Add a dab of honey, preserves, or mustard if desired. Top with biscuit top.

Serve: Serve immediately while warm. These biscuits are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as appetizers cut smaller. In Virginia, they're appropriate any time of day!