Favorite Biscuit recipes

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Please list your favorite recipes. I make one that uses butter and would really like to find some that use oil, as I think it would be a little cheaper. I like to experiment so I will try any you post.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), March 17, 2002

Answers

Ok because y'all are my friends, I'm going to give up my biscuit recipie. The secret is to use a self rising flour milled south of the Mason Dixon line. I'm not kidding-something about Southern flour has less gluten than Northern flour so they are lighter. You can make perfectly good biscuits using margerine instead of butter. You can also put yogurt in to cut the milk fat and it makes them lighter. You can get away with oil but I really don't think it makes nearly as good a biscuit. Of course you can use lard, (I'm almost afraid to say that!) Ive been playing with some of the yogurt based margerine types-they are more expensive, but I think they are healthier. Does this help? Of course there are other tricks to making good biscuits-you need a biscuit cutter, not a glass, and you need to lightly mix the dough with your finger tips, and fold it over several times to create air pockets for lighter biscuits. Here in the South, we take our biscuits pretty seriously.

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), March 17, 2002.

I agree about the flour. I put self-risin flour in a big bowl. How much depends on how many biscuits I'm makin. Add a large serving spoon, heaped up with shortning or lard. Cut that in with a pastry blender or a fork. Add enough buttermilk to make a slightly sticky dough. I make my buttermilk out of powdered milk so its fat free. Put a good bit of flour on a bread board and dump the dough in the middle. Use your fingers to pull the flour from the edges to the middle until the dough isnt sticky anymore and you can pat it out. Cut with a pork'n bean can that has both ends cut out and put on a buttered pan. Bake at 400 degrees until they are as brown as you like them. You can pat out the dough kinda thin and spread with soft butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, white/brown and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut and flatten a little. Bake on a buttered pan too. Its mighty fine eating. I keep my biscuit flour in a big white bucket. When I've finished I gather up the flour left on the board and sift it back into the bucket. Blessings Peggy

-- peggy (peggyan2@msn.com), March 17, 2002.

Southern Mayonnaise Biscuits----2/3 cup buttermilk, 2 TBSP oil, 3 TBSP mayo, 2 cups self rising flour (or use 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt). Mix buttermilk, oil and mayo. Add flour, turn onto floured board to knead slightly, if still sticky add a tad more flour. Roll and cut, best if cooked in oiled cast iron skillet at 425 degrees till done. You can also use all mayo, or 4 TBSP oil omitting the mayo, not as much flour and have drop biscuits into muffin pan. Hope you find one that works for you!!

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), March 18, 2002.

Thanks so far! I do have a recipe that is pretty near to perfect as far as my family is concerned, I am just trying to lower the fat in it. I do not use margarine, the kids think it is poison, and Cale will not eat anything with hyrogenated oil, so I just don't use it. I thought if I could come up with something that I could use olive oil in,it would be a little healthier and cheaper. I also use whole wheat flour, so they are not quite as light and tender as those made with white flour, but buttermilk helps a lot! I am experimenting with using corn-meal to make a cornmeal biscuit. I don't mind experimenting, but I hate to waste anything. I made some rye bread last week that to me was almost unedible. It did not raise very well, and was almost like a lump of dough!!! But the kids thought it was good and ate every bite. I guess when they get home from school they are hungry enough to eat anything...LOL

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), March 18, 2002.

Melissa, I use olive or canola oil in my biscuits. If the recipe calls for 2/3 cup of butter or marg. substitute 1/2 cup oil. go to the Bertolli Olive oil web site and you will find a complete list.

-- Mary Zastowny (foxpawz@gamewood.net), March 18, 2002.


Sure am glad I read this. I haven't made a decent biscuit since I moved to Yankee country two years ago. I kept thinking I had lost my touch. I even thought that none of the flours I tried here were right for biscuits. Maybe it is the flour. Bet I can find some Martha Stewart tomorrow! Yall may have saved my life as I make biscuits 3 or 4 times a week! Thanks!

-- DAVID Constantin In Wisconsin (cajundavid@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

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