Good Eats Southern Biscuits Recipes

SOUTHERN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Whisk together the 12 ounces flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter and shortening into the dry goods until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the middle of this mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a large spoon until the dough just comes together. Then knead in the bowl until all the flour has been taken up.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, then start folding the dough over on itself, gently kneading for 30 seconds, or until the dough is soft and smooth. Press the dough into a 1-inch thick round. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out biscuits, being sure to push the cutter straight down through the dough to the work surface before twisting to "punch" out the biscuit. Make your cuts as close together as possible to limit waste.
• Place the biscuits on a half sheet pan so they just barely touch. Reroll any scraps and punch out as many biscuits as possible. Use your thumb to create a shallow dimple in the top center of each biscuit and bake until the biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the biscuits out into a kitchen towel-lined basket and cool slightly before serving.

GOOD EATS 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.
• If you do not want to use the buttermilk, use regular milk at the same volume, but omit the baking soda. This is the way that I make this recipe most of the time.

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.

SOUTHERN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Cut butter into sifted dry ingredients.
• Add milk gradually to make a soft dough.
• Knead 30 seconds on a lightly floured board just enough to blend ingredients. If you handle the dough too long, it'll make for tough biscuits.
• Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut with a floured biscuit cutter or the floured top of a water glass.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 12- 15 minutes or until tops of biscuits are a golden brown.