Everybody likes biscuits, including our English friends who call them scones. If you ask for biscuits in England, you’ll get cookies. I think it was Churchill who said the Americans and English are separated by a common language (or something like that).
Anyway, everybody likes biscuits, and every cook ought to know how to make them. They are tasty enough to be good alone, but bland enough to adapt to many accompaniments: butter, jellies and jams, gravy, sauces, creamed dishes, etc.
They should be light brown on top and bottom, and the crusts should separate easily. The inside should be light and fluffy.
Although there are many variations, the basic recipe for biscuits includes flour, milk and fat. You will want to add a leavening agent, such as baking powder or soda, and salt. Southern cooks most often use self-rising flour to eliminate the adding of the leavening.
The best biscuits are made with lard. Yes, lard and eating one or two biscuits won’t kill you. The biscuit interior is flaky, and the crusts bake to a light brown. You may also use a vegetable shortening, and some recipes ask for butter. You can use half butter and half shortening, and some recipes suggest using cream instead of milk. Occasionally a recipe will say vegetable oil, but the usual fat is lard or shortening.
Most recipes use whole milk, but you may choose to use the 1 percent or 2 percent. Other recipes ask for buttermilk, but basically it’s flour, milk and fat, plus the leavening and salt.
Most biscuit dough is rolled about ½- to ¾-inch, then cut, and when baked will probably double to 1 inch in height. Most biscuit cutters are 2 inches, but you can make big ol’ biscuits using a larger one or make little tea biscuits using a 1-inch cutter.
After the biscuits are cut, you can freeze them by placing them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and when they are frozen put them in plastic bags. It is best to wrap them individually or to pack with waxed paper or plastic wrap so that the biscuits don’t touch. To bake, place the biscuits on a baking sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until brown. To thaw and then bake, cook at 425 degrees 10 to 12 minutes.
Here are some recipes you may like for Sunday breakfast or … Sunday Dinner.
Basic Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
½ cup lard, or lard and shortening mix, or shortening and butter
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour before measuring. Then sift again. With fingers or a pastry blender, blend in the shortening or lard. Add the milk all at once, stir with a fork until mixture stays together.
Turn onto a floured board, dust with flour, and turn and knead about 10-12 times, patting it into a circle. Dough will be sticky. Use a rolling pin lightly, if desired, to make the top smooth. Cut with a 1½- to 2-inch cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12-15 minutes until tops are lightly browned. Yields about 12 biscuits. (Try adding ¼ cup grated cheese or ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon to the dry mix.)
Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup shortening
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
Sift together in a bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then cut in the shortening. Stir in buttermilk. Turn dough onto a floured surface and turn and knead gently. Roll to ½ inch; cut with a 1½-inch biscuit cutter. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees. Yields 10.
Herbed Biscuits
¼ cup chopped onion
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup shortening
⅓ cup milk
Seasoning: 2 tablespoons each of dried oregano, marjoram, and basil; 4 teaspoons dried savory; 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed; 2 teaspoons rubbed sage. Combine these. You’ll have some left for another use.
Sauté 1 tablespoon of the seasoning with onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cut in the shortening. Mix the egg, milk and onion seasoning and add to the flour mix. Turn out, knead and roll to ¼ inch. Cut and put on ungreased baking sheet. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the biscuits, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Yields 6 biscuits.