Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets lightly with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles course meal and butter is the size of small peas.
Using an large spoon or spatula, stir in buttermilk, just until entire mixture is wet and a soft dough forms: do not overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press dough together with your floured hands just until dough holds together in a ball. Pat or roll dough until 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, or the top of a round glass, dip the cutter in flour and then cut out rounds of the dough. (For appetizers, use a 1-1/2 to 2 inch diameter cutter. For full size biscuits use a 4 inch cutter). Place the rounds on a baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press remaining dough together, knead very gently so it holds together. Pat dough out into 1/2 inch thickness again, and cut out more biscuits until dough is used up.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and tops are starting to brown. (smaller biscuits may take less time, larger biscuits take a few more minutes).
Enjoy!