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Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 400u00b0F (200u00b0C). Should your kitchen be warmer than 75u00b0F (24u00b0C), please see our
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before getting started; the specifics are focused on pie dough, but the overall principles hold true for baking biscuits as well.
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Sift flour into a medium bowl, then add sugar, black sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined (this may take a minute or more). Add cubed butter, toss to break up the pieces, and smash each cube flat. Continue smashing and rubbing until butter has mostly disappeared into a floury mix, although a few larger, Cheerio-sized pieces may remain. (This can also be done with 4 or 5 pulses in a
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; just take care not to overdo it.) The prepared mix can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks in an airtight container, then used as directed below.
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Add buttermilk and stir with a flexible spatula until the flour has been fully absorbed. The dough will seem rather crumbly and dry at first, but keep mixing until it finally comes together. (Don't worry about over-mixing; until the flour has been fully incorporated, the greater concern is under-mixing.) Once the dough forms a rough ball, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
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Using your bare hands, gently pat dough into a squarish shape about 1/2 inch thick, then fold in half; repeat twice more for a total of 3 folds, using only enough flour to keep your hands from sticking. Finish by patting the dough to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Dust away any excess flour, if necessary, then cut dough into 3-inch rounds and arrange closely in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Gather scraps into a ball, pat and fold a single time, then cut as many more biscuits as you can. The final round of scraps can be gathered and shaped into a single biscuit by hand.
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Brush tops of biscuits with sesame oil and bake until biscuits are well risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let biscuits cool about 5 minutes to help set their crumb, then serve fresh, whether alongside soups and stews or as a base for a fried chicken sandwich.
