How to Make Traditional Southern Biscuits – with Recipes

Making biscuits is a skill that all good southern cooks should master. There is nothing more satisfyingly southern than a light flaky biscuit with gravy or homemade jam. Biscuits are quick and easy to make and economical as well.

The secret to good biscuits is in the mixing. The dry ingredients must be kept separate from the wet until ready to bake, then mixed only as much as needed to make the dough. Over mixing will develop gluten and result in a tough chewy biscuit.

First, lets discuss the ingredients. The type of flour is important, a good flour will make good biscuits. You want a fresh low gluten flour. Self-rising flour is traditional in the south, but you can use all-purpose flour as well. I always thought it was a prejudice that good southern cooks used only “southern” flour, until I learned about the differences in gluten. Southern brands of flour such as White Lily is milled from a soft wheat that contains less gluten and will produce a lighter biscuit. Bread flour has too much gluten and will make a tough biscuit.

Lard is the traditional fat for making biscuits, but shortening is fine and probably healthier. The fat will cut into the flour better if it is used cold. It should not be melted. If you wish to use oil, make drop biscuits, muffins, or quick breads.

Baking powder and salt are the leavening if you are using all-purpose flour. Do not reduce or omit the salt. If you use self-rising flour, no baking powder and salt are needed, unless you are making angel biscuits, which use yeast.

Start by “cutting” the lard or shortening into the flour. This is accomplished by using a pastry blender, two forks or your hands. Cut the cold fat into small pieces and add it to the flour. Rub it into the flour repeatedly until the mixture resembles course crumbs, similar to making a pie crust. I prefer to rub the fat into the flour using my hands, rubbing the butter and flour between my thumb and fingers. But if you don’t like the mess, use a pastry cutter and push it repeatedly into the butter and flour, “cutting” through the mixture until it resembles crumbs. If you have overly warm hands you might prefer the pastry cutter, because you do not want to warm the fat.

Next, make a hole or “well” into the center of the flour mixture to pour the milk or buttermilk into. The milk is poured in all at once. Use a fork to mix the flour into the milk stirring around the sides of the well to bring the flour in. Bring in only as much flour as you need to make a soft dough. Once the dough is formed, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it perhaps 2 or 3 times if needed to bring the dough together. The dough will not form a cohesive ball like yeast dough. Just push the crumbs and bits together, ignoring any that are too dry. The dough should be soft, do not overwork it. Roll it or pat it out to about a half inch thick and then cut with a floured cutter, pressing straight down. Twisting the cutter will seal the edges and inhibit rising. Biscuits can also be formed by hand, or cut into squares with a knife. Place the biscuits onto an ungreased pan, just barely touching, or if you like the sides browned and crusty, place a half inch apart. Biscuits that are touching in the pan will rise higher and spread less.

Place the biscuits into a hot pre-heated oven. They are done when they are golden brown. Baking times are given in the recipe, but can vary from oven to oven, so keep an eye on them, but resist the temptation to open the oven too often. As soon as they come out of the oven, remove them from the pan with a spatula or pancake turner. Cool slightly, and enjoy them warm. Some people prefer to brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven, this is optional.

Biscuits can be frozen and reheated in the oven. The result is not quite the same, but acceptable. Some people reheat them in the microwave, wrapped in a damp napkin, but they are a little chewy this way for my taste.

Once you’ve mastered the art of biscuit making, you’ll want to experiment with adding a few ingredients. Cheese is a traditional add in, as are herbs, but use your imagination.

Traditional Southern Biscuit

3 cups self-rising flour, plus some to flour the board
½ cup shortening or lard
1 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl.
3. Add the shortening to the flour in bits and cut into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Form a well in the center of the flour and add the milk into the well.
5. Stir the milk into the flour with a fork, just until mixed.
6. Turn out onto a floured board, counter top, or piece of parchment paper. Knead gently 2 or 3 times and roll or pat to a ½ inch thickness.
7. Cut into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot.

A Leaner Version of Biscuits with Self-Rising Flour

2 cups self-rising flour
¼ cup shortening or lard
1 cup milk or buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the flour in a bowl.  With a pastry cutter or your fingers rub the shortening into the flour until the texture is like cornmeal.
3. Form a hole or well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the milk or buttermilk into the well.
4. Use your fork to stir the flour into the milk, stirring in a circle so that a little more flour is incorporated with each pass.
5. Roll out dough to ½ inch and cut with a 2 inch cutter, or pull off balls of dough and flatten with your fingers.  (I prefer flattening the balls since it avoids additional working of the dough.)
6. Place biscuits onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

 

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons shortening
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl.  With a pastry cutter or your fingers rub the shortening into the flour until the texture is like cornmeal.
3. Form a hole or well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk into the well.
4. Use your fork to stir the flour into the buttermilk, stirring in a circle so that a little more flour is incorporated with each pass.
5. Roll out dough to ½ inch and cut with a 2 inch cutter, or pull off balls of dough and flatten with your fingers.  (I prefer flattening the balls since it avoids additional working of the dough.)
6. Place biscuits onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Drop Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons shortening
1 cup milk

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the milk until incorporated into a light dough.
4. Drop by tablespoons biscuits onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons shortening
¾ cup milk, approximately

5. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
7. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough or until flour leaves the side of the bowl and follows fork.
8. Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly a few times. Pat or roll dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2 inch biscuit cutter.
9. Place biscuits onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Variations:

Cheese Biscuits. Cut in 1 cup of grated cheese with the shortening and proceed as directed.

Festive Specialty Biscuits: To the flour mixture add 2 tablespoons chopped chives and one tablespoon chopped pimento before stirring in the milk. This make a pretty and festive biscuit with red and green bits.

Ham biscuits. Southerners usually serve a thin slice of ham in the biscuit, but ham can be added to the biscuit before cooking as well. Add 2/3 cup of finely diced ham to the flour mixture before adding the milk.

Roquefort-Blue Cheese Biscuits: Add 1/3 cup crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese to the flour mixture before stirring in the milk.

Whole Wheat Biscuits. Substitute 1 cup unsifted whole-wheat flour for 1 cup of the sifted white flour.

Whipped-Cream Biscuits. Substitute 1 cup of heavy cream for the shortening and milk called for in the recipe. Whip cream and blend in lightly with a fork.