Basic Southern Biscuits Recipes

SOUTHERN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
• Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)
• Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of the cold butter and the cold shortening and work it into the dry ingredients, using your hands, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk. The dough will be sticky. Dust your work surface with some flour. Turn the dough onto the floured surface. Gently fold each side toward the center. Pick up the dough and dust the work surface with additional flour. Return the dough to the floured surface and fold each side towards the center again. Turn the dough over and press it out to 1-inch thickness. Cut the biscuits, straight down, do not twist the cutter, with a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and add to a 10-inch round cake pan. Place the biscuits in the pan, turning once (to coat both sides with butter), about 1/4-inch apart. Let the biscuits rest for 15 minutes before baking. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

BASIC BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting procedure.
• Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

EASY SOUTHERN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 10 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
• In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour and sugar. Stir in milk and mayonnaise until a smooth dough is formed. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and doubled in size.

EASY SOUTHERN-STYLE BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400.
• 2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Transfer to a food processor along with the butter, cut into small pieces. Pulse 5-6 times until just blended.
• 3. Return flour mixture to bowl, and add 3/4 cup milk. Stir until dough can easily be formed into a ball. If mixture is too dry, slowly add up to 1/4 cup more milk until proper consistency is reached.
• 4. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• 5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the dough directly on the baking sheet and use hands to press into a rectangle approximately 1 inch thick. Cut dough into biscuit shapes using a floured glass or biscuit cutter.
• 6. Organize biscuits on pan so that sides are touching. Bake 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown. Watch carefully to avoid burning bottoms.