Buttermilk gluten-free biscuits (that don't taste like cardboard)

This recipe was shared to me via Sherry who has been a wealth of information since I found out I was celiac. She put me onto the Blackbird Bakery which is full of delicious recipes. I used to bake scones every weekend and thanks to this book, I still can!

Makes 8 biscuits

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup tapioca flour (plus 1/4 cup for dusting)
1 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, diced
3 Tbsp cold vegetable shortening, diced
1 cup buttermilk (you can make buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to regular milk and letting it stand in the fridge for 10 minutes. It gets chunky, that's ok)
2 to 3 Tbsp water, if needed.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Position rack in middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk to blend. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands), cut the fats into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small peas.

Stir the buttermilk until the dough forms a ball. It's usually pretty gungy at this point and looks like a right disaster. Just trust it. If the mixture is too dry, add water 1 Tbsp at a time. I usually don't.

Turn the dough onto a counter that has been dusted with tapioca flour. Knead until very smooth, 3 to 4 turns. Biscuits are better the less you knead them, that's a tip from Omy Mayo.

Form the dough into a disk 1 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or scotch glass), cut out biscuits. I dust the glass with flour to prevent sticking.

Put the biscuits on an unbuttered cookie sheet. I usually do 2 batches of 4 biscuits at a time because unlike most gluten-free cooking, these actually rise!

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.

I recommend you serve these with Allison Inkpen's cherry jam or anything from Island Preserves.