# Crumbly Biscuits?



## DaddyPaul

I made some biscuits last night and they were good but they just about fell apart when you bit into them?  Why is that?

I used self rising flour, Crisco and milk to mix 'em up and then brushed a little melted butter on the tops before sticking them in a 450 degree oven for about 14 or 15 minutes.

Any ideas?


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## GrlsHnt2

Too much Crisco, but not too too much. Does that make sense? Way too much Crisco can cause them not to rise well (along with not enough soda/powder) but just a tad too much Crisco can make them extra flaky so they fall apart on you.


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## ranger1977

I love biscuits.


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## jason4445

What has been said is all true.  Too much shortening, and not enough causes crumbly biscuit.  (By the way in old timey southern language a plural for biscuit was never used, so there was a biscuit, or many biscuit.)  Also, working the shortening into the flour not long enough, or too long can cause the same thing.  

The old lard biscuit was never a "high rise" affair.  Traditionally they only had a inch or inch and a half rise to them and held together well.  Old timers told me that is how at school you knew which child's family had money cause they brought their lunch sandwich in sliced store bought bread.  Poorer children brought their meat for lunch in a biscuit and it being a lard biscuit it mostly held together.

The tall "hot rise or fast rise" biscuit did not really come into its own until the  40's to early 50's with the introduction of self rising flour and veg. shortening or a AVG mixture of a 60/40 combination of lard and Veg. shortening.  But to get this rise you also got a crumblier biscuit.  

Yeah, I know a dozen or so will have to jump in here telling about how their blue haired Maw Maw, at the old farm house, made them lard biscuit so light and fluffy you had to reach to the ceiling to grab one, but traditionally lard biscuits were mostly hockey puck items.

In the frozen sausage and biscuit you find now in the freezer section at the store, those are yeast biscuits made that way because they hold up better during the shipping and heating up process.

Another way to add strength to the big rise biscuit of today is to add an egg and slightly reduce the amount of liquid.  The protein in the egg will reduce the crumble factor, but will add a slight yellow color.


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## DaddyPaul

For the record, these were not the "high rise" variety, but rather short, stout biscuits.  

To be honest I did put a little "extra" Crisco in the mix thinking it would make 'em taste better?  Maybe that is where I goofed?

Thinking of trying again in the AM, this time with less shortening!


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## Jeff Phillips

Work the dough a little and it will make everything bond a little tighter.

Make the batter thin, then fold it over on itself before cutting.


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## redneckcamo

MMMMMMMMMMMM biscuits an molasses with lotsa real butter ....fresh an hot with country ham an redeye gravy mmmm


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## Jeff Phillips

redneckcamo said:


> MMMMMMMMMMMM biscuits an molasses with lotsa real butter ....fresh an hot with country ham an redeye gravy mmmm



Man stop it!

I have been on a low carb diet for over a week!

A biscuit with molasses would be real good


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## CAL

Jeff Phillips said:


> A biscuit with molasses would be real good



Man,a good homemade biscuit with anything would be good.By the way,I resemble a homemade biscuit.More like the little doughboy!


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## DaddyPaul

Better this morning but a touch on the crumbly side still.  Gonna try some buttermilk and thinning up my mixture next time.

I am really close on getting 'em just right!

I woofed down two this morning with some cane syrup.  Just put 'em in a bowl and poured the syrup on top.  Yum, yum!


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## GrlsHnt2

Well, good luck. It's one of those things you just can't measure the ingredients for, they are still gonna be different every time. You just mix the dough til you know it's right. 

Keep working on em and you will finally have em just right.


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## pbradley

oh man, I love good buttermilk biscuits. Biscuits with pear preserves or biscuits with fried green 'maters or biscuits with mayhaw jelly.


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## rapid fire

Definetely use buttermilk.  If you don't have any, just squirt a splash of lemon juice in sweet milk and in a few minutes you will have butter milk.  Make your dough thin at first and place onto floured surface.  Sift a little flour on top to keep it from sticking to your hands and start folding.  Each time you fold, sift a little less flour till they are the firmness you desire.  Be sure to sift the flour prior to making dough as well.  Good luck.


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## potsticker

Acording to my wife, she uses neather crisco or butter. She uses canola oil. Her biscuts dont take but about 8 minutes.


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## dawg2

DaddyPaul said:


> For the record, these were not the "high rise" variety, but rather short, stout biscuits.
> 
> To be honest I did put a little "extra" Crisco in the mix thinking it would make 'em taste better?  Maybe that is where I goofed?
> 
> Thinking of trying again in the AM, this time with less shortening!



Too much shortening makes them fall apart.


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## HayabusaTygr

Make sure you use self-rising flour 

I've always found too much Crisco makes them thick, and too little makes them crumble.


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