1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ cup parsley – finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme – finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425F. Grease 9-inch cake pan. Combine flours, baking powder, salts, herbs, and baking soda in a large bowl. Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk until combined.
Use greased ½ cup measure or large spring-loaded ice cream scoop to transfer 6 heaping portions of dough into prepared pan, placing 5 around the perimeter and 1 in the center. (Can also be baked in a greased muffin pan.)
Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve. (Can be stored in a tight container for a couple of days).
