# Biscuits



## Woods1994

Looking for a good biscuit recipe, my aunt used to make them when I was down in college living with her but never really stopped to learn. Definitely regretting it now.


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## Havana Dude

A good place to start is get you a bag of white Lilly SR flour. Go by the recipe on the back. A few tips to help you, use a couple butter knives criss crossing to cut in your shortening. If you cut your biscuits, don’t twist cutter. For me, the wetter your dough is coming out of bowl, the better. It will tighten up as you add flour to aid in working dough. I flatten out my dough ball by hand to about an inch, and fold in half, repeat about 4-5 times. Flatten out last time to a half to 3/4” thick. 500 degrees for 10 minutes. I melt a half a stick of butter and drizzle over mine right when they come out. Remove from hot pan, so they don’t continue to cook. That basically how I do it. There are a million ways to do it, you just have to find what works for you.


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## gobbleinwoods

I use either King Arthur or Gold Medal self rising flour.  Then work my shortening in using my fingers.   I don't measure the shortening any more but the use more than you think you need.  I then pour in the buttermilk (again I don't measure) but as Havana said you want a slightly sticky dough.  I gently stir mine with a fork but traditionalists will tell you to use your hand.   You just don't want to do this with vigor but gently.   Turn out onto a floured surface and pat and flatten, fold--flatten to about an inch and repeat 5-6 times.   Cut with a floured biscuit cutter but do NOT twist the cutter in the dough.   I bake mine at 350 for 18-20 minutes as the wife really likes the tops to be brown.

There are lots of recipes on King Arthur website to give you other options and idea about flour to shortening ratios.


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## fishfryer

Havana Dude said:


> A good place to start is get you a bag of white Lilly SR flour. Go by the recipe on the back. A few tips to help you, use a couple butter knives criss crossing to cut in your shortening. If you cut your biscuits, don’t twist cutter. For me, the wetter your dough is coming out of bowl, the better. It will tighten up as you add flour to aid in working dough. I flatten out my dough ball by hand to about an inch, and fold in half, repeat about 4-5 times. Flatten out last time to a half to 3/4” thick. 500 degrees for 10 minutes. I melt a half a stick of butter and drizzle over mine right when they come out. Remove from hot pan, so they don’t continue to cook. That basically how I do it. There are a million ways to do it, you just have to find what works for you.



I've seen reports that White Lily has a new owner and will be made in another location. My family has been using White Lily for at least three generations hope to continue,depending on flour quality.


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## gobbleinwoods

Another hint.   You can buy the crisco in the flat tubs that make measuring it easier without messing up a measuring cup.


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## NCHillbilly

White Lily self-rising. Get you about three cups of it. Put about three tablespoons of Crisco or a little bit more in there. Crumble it into the flour with your fingers until it's mixed throughout it and there are no big chunks left. Add buttermilk and stir with a spoon until it's a little stickier than you would think. Turn it out on a floured board. Don't knead it or work it too much, just enough to make it smooth. Mash it out about 1/2"-3/4" thick, and cut your biscuits out with a wide-mouth mason jar lid. It doesn't matter at all if you twist it or not. Put them in a greased pan so that they're touching and bake at 425*. Run a stick of butter over the tops. It takes a few times to get the feel of it, but it's super easy.


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## pop pop jones

I tried for a long time to learn how to bake biscuits, and failed like a champ. Then one day they just came together. Best way to learn, is to just keep trying.


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## gobbleinwoods

Now my MIL used to make a water biscuit and they were good.

She never measured anything except by feel.

She used the cheapest self rising flour but usually White Lily and then sifted in dry/powered milk.    Then by hand shortening.   When it was crumbly add the water by hand and then using just her floured hands would roll a biscuit at a time between her palms.   Then she sprayed the tops with Pam or dabbed on some butter although I think she used CrockSpread.


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## Havana Dude

Yep, see what I mean? Take the advice you think will work for you and give it a whirl. I know an elderly lady, who mixes in bacon grease. I can hurt myself eating her biscuits. NCHB, those look awesome!


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## NCHillbilly

No two people on earth make biscuits exactly the same.


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## fishfryer

NCHillbilly said:


> No two people on earth make biscuits exactly the same.


My mother's sisters,there were four of them and my mother, all from same parents,raised together, all made different tasting biscuits. They were all good too.


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## NCHillbilly

fishfryer said:


> My mother's sisters,there were four of them and my mother, all from same parents,raised together, all made different tasting biscuits. They were all good too.


Yep. I learned to make them from my mom. I taught my wife how to make them. We all make good biscuits, but they are all subtly different.

Here's some my wife made this morning. They were good.


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## cramer

Makin Me  hongry


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## cramer

Should make this a sticky


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## SC Hunter

Of all the things I've learned to cook during my short life on this planet I've never made homemade biscuits. I am going to have to change that soon.


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## Nicodemus

cramer said:


> Should make this a sticky




Done.


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## Ugahunter2013

There is a local eating place here that makes buttermilk biscuts. They have a real good tang to them. WHen i make buttermilk biscuts they dont have the same flavor. Is there something else that gives some buttermilk biscuts more flavor than others?


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## mrs. hornet22

I make mine exactly like NChb except I don't roll my dough out and cut it. I GENTLY roll it in my hands and GENTLY pat it flat like you would pat a babies bottom. Put them on a baking sheet sides touching. Mama always pushed the biscuits down with 3 fingers before putting them in the oven. Don't know why, but that's what I do.


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## TnHunter356

Your Momma Done Good!!


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## Artfuldodger

My kids asked me last night if Nana made biscuits when I was growing up. I said no, she didn't know how. My wife said her Mom didn't know how either but it didn't stop her from making them.


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## Artfuldodger

I wonder if a cat iron skillet would work better. I did learn myself from a lady who just pinched and rolled. She used a round cake pan greased with a lot of Crisco. They were kind of flat and small, not the cathead kind.

My Mama made one giant one she called a Hoe Cake. It was never as good as baked biscuits.


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## fireman32

3 cups White Lily SR flour, sifted.  Waller a hole in the middle of the flour and place a handful of Crisco in there.  Pour 3/4 cup or so of buttermilk on the Crisco and knead it til all the big chunks are gone.  Slowly knead the flour into the Mixture until it starts to firm up then pat the outside of the dough with flour until it’s dry enough to handle.  Pinch off a biscuit size pieces and place in a greased cast iron skillet all touching.  Bake at 400 til done. Took me awhile to master it. 
Both my Grandmas and momma all used the same ingredients and all had completely different biscuits.  I even finally got my bride good at making them now.


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## Triple C

Farm biscuits this morn. Been making these for 47 yrs.


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## mrs. hornet22

Two of these buttermilk biscuits this morning were taken off the pan and filled with egg and cheese. I barely got them out of the oven.


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## RamblinWreck

I prefer the White Lily unbleached self-rising flour (tastes the best). I use a box grater and grate frozen unsalted butter into the flour, and put bowl and everything into freezer to keep ice cold while oven is heating up. I use 300 g flour with a teaspoon extra salt, and - if using buttermilk - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (I always use buttermilk, but if we are out, I'll use regular milk), and half stick of frozen unsalted butter. Just mix with fork and put into freezer. It is critical your fat remains solid - this is the essential secret of good biscuits.

When  oven is hot, add 1 cup buttermilk, a bit less if using regular milk. Mix minimally, pat to 1", cut, and bake at 450F 15 minutes or so. Makes 6 big biscuits, best I've had ANYWHERE.


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## Redbow

Anyone ever use Hog lard to make biscuits anymore? I admit I don't either but my Grandma used flour, hog lard and water. She knew how much to use of each ingredient not wrote out on a paper but in her head. Best biscuits within a country mile back than. I loved me a fat back or old country ham biscuit in the mornings.. You biscuit baking folks gonna make me gain another 10 pounds by just looking at those pictures..


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## oldways

I use lard in biscuits and I grease my pan with it too I killed 7 number 1's  the other day and rendered out the lard and canned it kept the cracklings for bread, I don't know how much I use because I don't measure anything just know what it suppose to look like..


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## Triple C

Redbow said:


> Anyone ever use Hog lard to make biscuits anymore? I admit I don't either but my Grandma used flour, hog lard and water. She knew how much to use of each ingredient not wrote out on a paper but in her head. Best biscuits within a country mile back than. I loved me a fat back or old country ham biscuit in the mornings.. You biscuit baking folks gonna make me gain another 10 pounds by just looking at those pictures..


Always use lard to grease the skillet and cut into the flour.


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## Darien1

I used to use lard in mine but I found a recipe in Southern Living that called for frozen butter grated on a cheese grater with it going back into the freezer after grating along with the flour.  Lately I have been doing the butter swim biscuit recipe going around on facebook.  Check it out.


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## Hillbilly stalker

Y’all have done flung a craving on me. If I was on my death bed and was asked what I wanted for breakfast.......three things

Plate #1 mommas biscuits and fried apples fried in a cast iron skillet

Plate #2 would be mommas biscuits and a plate of sorghum molasses with just the right amount of butter.

Plate #3 mommas biscuits and sausage gravy.
I could just close my eyes and go out with a smile.   Thems some fine looking biscuits y’all are showing.   Make a puppy dog pull a freight train !


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## elfiii

I ain't a great baker but here's grandma's biscuits and sausage. Tasted almost as good as grandma's.


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## Triple C

elfiii said:


> I ain't a great baker but here's grandma's biscuits and sausage. Tasted almost as good as grandma's.
> 
> View attachment 1049354


elfiii - I'd knock the bottom out of a couple of those babies!


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## mrs. hornet22

Darien1 said:


> I used to use lard in mine but I found a recipe in Southern Living that called for frozen butter grated on a cheese grater with it going back into the freezer after grating along with the flour.  Lately I have been doing the butter swim biscuit recipe going around on facebook.  Check it out.


I do my frozen butter like that, but also add a little lard or pour oil. Nobody likes crumbly biscuits.


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## hopper

NCHillbilly said:


> No two people on earth make biscuits exactly the same.


I hear that! I use frozen butter grated with a cheese grater. Then nead it, flour it, nead it flour it a few times (makes them flaky). Cut em and cook em. 
 Love biscuits.


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## Para Bellum

Freeze a stick of butter the night before and use a cheese grater to grate it into the dough before baking.  It'll make you wanna slap yo Grandmama.  Oops, just saw where I got beat to this little trick.  Dang good biscuits!


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## almoore

Wrambing Wreck,
I just used your recipe.  First biscuits I ever made other than camping with Bisquick.
Worked out great.  Here are the leftovers.


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## KS Bow Hunter

My first "real" job when I was 16 making $3.35 per hour was at McDonald's.  Because I was in school and sports, I had to work nights and weekends...I became the biscuit guy on Saturday and Sunday...arrive at 5 AM, first batch out of the oven before 6 AM opening...I don't even know how many biscuits I made back in those days...10s of thousands...

Now I make them by opening the freezer and tossing them on a cookie sheet...

However, if I could make them the way my grandmother did I would...they were not the big fluffy cathead biscuits here in the south...they were denser, flatter, and smoother...looked more like a dinner role than a biscuit...but man they were good...


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## KS Bow Hunter

elfiii said:


> I ain't a great baker but here's grandma's biscuits and sausage. Tasted almost as good as grandma's.
> 
> View attachment 1049354


Those look more like my grandmas...with hot sausage...and a fried egg...oh man they were good...


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## tv_racin_fan

My mom made the best biscuits I ever ate. I never learned how and now that she is gone that is the one thing I really really wish I had learned from her.

After she put hers in a pan she went and used a teaspoon to make a dimple in each one and filled it with about half a teaspoon of melted butter.

My wife made drop biscuits and on occasion she used mayo in the mix when she didn't have oil which she used instead of shortning. Her biscuits are dang good but they do not hold a candle to my moms.  

I think my mom used the white lily recipe.


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## tv_racin_fan

Artfuldodger said:


> I wonder if a cat iron skillet would work better. I did learn myself from a lady who just pinched and rolled. She used a round cake pan greased with a lot of Crisco. They were kind of flat and small, not the cathead kind.
> 
> My Mama made one giant one she called a Hoe Cake. It was never as good as baked biscuits.
> View attachment 1037706



My son in law makes something similar he calls pan bread. Makes the mix a bit wetter than you would for biscuits. Cooks it in a cast iron skillet just like you would cornbread. 

What we call hoe cakes is cornbread mix made thin and you make what looks like thin lacey edged pan cakes


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## gobbleinwoods

tv_racin_fan said:


> My mom made the best biscuits I ever ate. I never learned how and now that she is gone that is the one thing I really really wish I had learned from her.
> 
> After she put hers in a pan she went and used a teaspoon to make a dimple in each one and filled it with about half a teaspoon of melted butter.
> 
> My wife made drop biscuits and on occasion she used mayo in the mix when she didn't have oil which she used instead of shortning. Her biscuits are dang good but they do not hold a candle to my moms.
> 
> I think my mom used the white lily recipe.



I make drop biscuits too but mine are seem to be a little crumbly unlike my normal buttermilk ones.    Still trying to perfect the drop ones.    The best I ever had came from Elizabeth's restaurant in Savannah.


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## tv_racin_fan

gobbleinwoods said:


> I make drop biscuits too but mine are seem to be a little crumbly unlike my normal buttermilk ones.    Still trying to perfect the drop ones.    The best I ever had came from Elizabeth's restaurant in Savannah.



I have never had a drop biscuit that wasn't crumbly.


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## huntersluck

I don't eat biscuits or  most breads anymore but when I did eat biscuits the best way I found to make them is to start with good flour, AP is what I prefer and do not use crisco or lard use butter. I feel way better though health wise when I gave up most carbs I still eat a little from time to time but it is low carb bread if I do.


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## Triple C

A few from the last yr or so. When it’s a couple of us I use the small skillet for 3 biscuits. Otherwise it’s the 7 biscuit skillet I use to make cornbread. Been making these since I was in high school a long time ago.


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## Havana Dude

Them look good triplec.


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## pinus palustris

Best biscuit advice: don’t over work the dough, handle as little as possible. Biscuits are a ‘quick’ bread not a yeast bread... developing the gluten is NOT what you are trying to do.. go easy on the dough and it will repay you with tender biscuits


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## LTZ25

I got to say there's a million more things to cook but not much better than homemade biscuits and some hot sausage and a few over medium eggs and good coffee !!!!
And y'all have some good looking ones on here .


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## treemanjohn

Triple C said:


> A few from the last yr or so. When it’s a couple of us I use the small skillet for 3 biscuits. Otherwise it’s the 7 biscuit skillet I use to make cornbread. Been making these since I was in high school a long time ago.
> View attachment 1097560View attachment 1097561View attachment 1097562View attachment 1097563View attachment 1097564View attachment 1097565View attachment 1097566View attachment 1097567


Good gracious!


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## K80




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## fishfryer

Triple C said:


> A few from the last yr or so. When it’s a couple of us I use the small skillet for 3 biscuits. Otherwise it’s the 7 biscuit skillet I use to make cornbread. Been making these since I was in high school a long time ago.
> View attachment 1097560View attachment 1097561View attachment 1097562View attachment 1097563View attachment 1097564View attachment 1097565View attachment 1097566View attachment 1097567


Those three finger marks on the top of the uncooked biscuits,that’s bonafide southern.?


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## Triple C

Same story. Different day. Deer camp biscuits n fixing’s…


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## glynr329

Sister makes them sometimes Cristo to grease pan a little.  She use flour and whipping cream. They are light and fluffy.


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