Who makes the "perfect" biscuit?

[fendrbluz]

I used to visit my grandmother in East Tenn when I was a kid and my grand mother would make biscuts every morning along with country ham and home made freezer jam She would use yeast in hers and she would alaways make a giant one for me :). Sure wish I would have paid more attention no recipes just stired up some good memories :).

 

[bonedigger]

I've been making biscuits for a long time too my friend. I've tried biscuits and biscuit recipes from countless sources. This one is not too bad, the comment about grated frozen butter reminded me of it. may be you can give it a try. I've been looking for a real good recipe for smoked sausage. I really like eckrich  sausage I would be truly blessed to find a copycat recipe of the Eckrich smoked sausage. Good luck on your biscuits, I hope this helps.

Baking Powder Biscuits

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4 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons   baking powder

1/2 teaspoon   baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 stick of frozen butter

1 1/2 cups milk (sour milk or buttermilk if you have it)

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Mix together in a large bowel the first 5 ingredients.

Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter till it resembles coarse meal.

Grate the frozen butter and incorporate into your mixture.

Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture and add about 1/2 of the milk. Work some of the dry ingredients into the milk until you have a nice dough. Take that portion of dough from the bowel and set aside. Repeat until all the milk and all the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.

Take care not to overwork or over knead the dough. This will result in tougher, heavier product.

Roll out on countertop to about 1/2” thick and cut into biscuits, ( I often use a drinking glass for this purpose).

Place on well greased cookie sheets and bake in a preheated 450º oven for about 12 to 15 minutes or until tops begin to turn golden brown and bottoms are browned.       

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Enjoy!

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[jmgreen]

Having lived in West TN, North Miss. and East TN. I am no stranger to biscuits. We even have a biscuit fest in Knoxville every year. My brother and I are in constant battle over who makes the best biscuits. I had an Uncle who made the best ones I've ever had and they did not rise as much as some. I've made biscuits right next to him and copied each move, yet mine still did not come out as good as his. Mine are pretty damn good. Despite all that, I don't think it's possible to make the "perfect" Biscuit, just really good ones. Too many variables including people's taste. All those above look great. My family would give me soooo much grief if I ever served store-bought biscuits.

 

[fendrbluz]

Had a uncle that would never measure nothing but he made some great catfish and biscuts but the best was when I would visit my grandmother in east Tenn. Every morning lots biscuts and she always made me a big giant one for me :)  with homemade jams and country cured ham with gravy that was about as close to heaven as you can get. What great memories.

 

[foamheart]

 
Had a uncle that would never measure nothing but he made some great catfish and biscuts but the best was when I would visit my grandmother in east Tenn. Every morning lots biscuts and she always made me a big giant one for me :)  with homemade jams and country cured ham with gravy that was about as close to heaven as you can get. What great memories.

 Biscuits made with love!

 

[thmoker]

If you ever find yourself in the NW Atlanta area, look up Martin's Restaurants. They make the best fast food biscuits that I've tasted. The large chicken filet biscuit is amazing.

 

[pilch]

Being an Aussie I do not understand the term Biscuit.

Can someone post a recipe for these as they appear to be similar to something we call a Scone.

 

[daveomak]

Being an Aussie I do not understand the term Biscuit.
Can someone post a recipe for these as they appear to be similar to something we call a Scone.

Pilch, morning.... there are recipes posted all through the thread... Dave

 

[noboundaries]

 
Being an Aussie I do not understand the term Biscuit.

Can someone post a recipe for these as they appear to be similar to something we call a Scone.

I looked up Aussie Scone recipes/pictures and basically it looks very similar to what we Americans call biscuits.  Of course what the British call biscuits we call cookies.  And to confuse things even more, what we American's call scones is more like a cakey biscuit because it includes more sugar and adds eggs.   

 

[foamheart]

Question :: Who makes the "perfect biscuit"?

Answer :: Whomever made the one currently in my hand!

 

[chilefarmer]

I have made and eaten many biscuits in my life. They were all good (well pretty good). Now that we just cook for the two of us I use frozen biscuits. The brand that is the best and as good of biscuits I have eaten is Mary B's I think made in Florida. I like the Jumbo best. Frozen loose in the bag, just bake what you need. They also make dumplings old fashion kind, thin strips. CF

 

[chef jimmyj]

My Cheffie Daughter Amanda, kitchen manager at a chain called Noodles and Company, had Thanksgiving off and requested Biscuits and Sausage Gravy for breakfast. In the past I made Alton Browns recipe and although I thought they were good, the family was not crazy about them. They thought they were too crumbly and a bit dry. Needless to say I didn't get frequent requests for biscuits. I decided to revisit this thread looking for something easy. I decided to combine a few techniques with Ray, Noboundries, recipe and some of my own tweaks. My long time goal was a biscuit that was light and tender yet firm enough to handle gravy or assorted spreads including sandwich fillings without being crumbly and falling apart....

I NAILED IT!!! Sorry No Pics, I was not expecting THIS good...

Southern Sandwich Biscuits in a KitchenAid Mixer

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board.
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs baking powder (use one without aluminum)
2 tsp kosher salt
12 Tbs unsalted butter, 3 Half sticks, Frozen Solid!
1 3/4 cups Buttermilk, very cold.

1/2 cup Sour Cream.

2 Tbs Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the mixer, stir together with your fingers.

3. Course grate the frozen butter into the flour in three installments, or 1/2 stick at a time, tossing together with your fingers after each installment.

4. Install the flat Paddle attachment. Add the buttermilk and sour cream then mix on lowest speed for about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl, getting the dry stuff on the bottom and beat on second speed for 15 seconds more.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cleaning the dough off the paddle. Flour the top of the dough well and pat out to a 1" thick rectangle.

6. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, turning 90° and patting out to 1" thick. Repeat 3 times. Gently press the dough down to a 1" thick rectangle for the last time..

7. Use a round cutter, frequently dipped in flour, to cut into 3" rounds pulling the scraps to the side.

8. Important! STACK the scraps and press them together. Fold and press again 1-2 times until fairly uniform. Press out to 1" thick and cut additional biscuits, repeating this step until you get 12 biscuits.

9. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.  If you like "crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.

10. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are a light golden brown on top and bottom.  Do not over bake.

Thanks Ray for the starting recipe and the rest of you guys for posting your Tricks!...JJ

 

[fendrbluz]

Wow thanks sounds great is it possible to use this recipe if you don't have a kitchen made mixer

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
Wow thanks sounds great is it possible to use this recipe if you don't have a kitchen made mixer

Sure, just mix it vigorously with a spoon for 10-15 strokes, scrape the bowl to get the ingredients that may be on the bottom, then mix again, 10-15 times. Turn out and proceed with the make up...JJ

 

[noboundaries]

 
My Cheffie Daughter Amanda, kitchen manager at a chain called Noodles and Company, had Thanksgiving off and requested Biscuits and Sausage Gravy for breakfast. In the past I made Alton Browns recipe and although I thought they were good, the family was not crazy about them. They thought they were too crumbly and a bit dry. Needless to say I didn't get frequent requests for biscuits. I decided to revisit this thread looking for something easy. I decided to combine a few techniques with Ray, Noboundries, recipe and some of my own tweaks. My long time goal was a biscuit that was light and tender yet firm enough to handle gravy or assorted spreads including sandwich fillings without being crumbly and falling apart....

I NAILED IT!!! Sorry No Pics, I was not expecting THIS good...

Southern Sandwich Biscuits in a KitchenAid Mixer

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board.
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs baking powder (use one without aluminum)
2 tsp kosher salt
12 Tbs unsalted butter, 3 Half sticks, Frozen Solid!
1 3/4 cups Buttermilk, very cold.

1/2 cup Sour Cream.

2 Tbs Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the mixer, stir together with your fingers.

3. Course grate the frozen butter into the flour in three installments, or 1/2 stick at a time, tossing together with your fingers after each installment.

4. Install the flat Paddle attachment. Add the buttermilk and sour cream then mix on lowest speed for about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl, getting the dry stuff on the bottom and beat on second speed for 15 seconds more.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cleaning the dough off the paddle. Flour the top of the dough well and pat out to a 1" thick rectangle.

6. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, turning 90° and patting out to 1" thick. Repeat 3 times. Gently press the dough down to a 1" thick rectangle for the last time..

7. Use a round cutter, frequently dipped in flour, to cut into 3" rounds pulling the scraps to the side.

8. Important! STACK the scraps and press them together. Fold and press again 1-2 times until fairly uniform. Press out to 1" thick and cut additional biscuits, repeating this step until you get 12 biscuits.

9. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.  If you like "crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.

10. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are a light golden brown on top and bottom.  Do not over bake.

Thanks Ray for the starting recipe and the rest of you guys for posting your Tricks!...JJ

Chef JimmyJ, I like your tweaks!  Thanks for the compliment and for the additions!  Just might have to try them this Saturday.

 

[inkjunkie]

My Cheffie Daughter Amanda, kitchen manager at a chain called Noodles and Company, had Thanksgiving off and requested Biscuits and Sausage Gravy for breakfast. In the past I made Alton Browns recipe and although I thought they were good, the family was not crazy about them. They thought they were too crumbly and a bit dry. Needless to say I didn't get frequent requests for biscuits. I decided to revisit this thread looking for something easy. I decided to combine a few techniques with Ray, Noboundries, recipe and some of my own tweaks. My long time goal was a biscuit that was light and tender yet firm enough to handle gravy or assorted spreads including sandwich fillings without being crumbly and falling apart....

I NAILED IT!!! Sorry No Pics, I was not expecting THIS good...


Southern Sandwich Biscuits in a KitchenAid Mixer

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board.

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbs baking powder (use one without aluminum)

2 tsp kosher salt

12 Tbs unsalted butter, 3 Half sticks, Frozen Solid!

1 3/4 cups Buttermilk, very cold.
1/2 cup Sour Cream.
2 Tbs Sugar

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of the mixer, stir together with your fingers.
3. Course grate the frozen butter into the flour in three installments, or 1/2 stick at a time, tossing together with your fingers after each installment.
4. Install the flat Paddle attachment. Add the buttermilk and sour cream then mix on lowest speed for about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl, getting the dry stuff on the bottom and beat on second speed for 15 seconds more.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, cleaning the dough off the paddle. Flour the top of the dough well and pat out to a 1" thick rectangle.
6. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter, turning 90° and patting out to 1" thick. Repeat 3 times. Gently press the dough down to a 1" thick rectangle for the last time..
7. Use a round cutter, frequently dipped in flour, to cut into 3" rounds pulling the scraps to the side.
8. Important! STACK the scraps and press them together. Fold and press again 1-2 times until fairly uniform. Press out to 1" thick and cut additional biscuits, repeating this step until you get 12 biscuits.
9. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.  If you like "crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
10. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are a light golden brown on top and bottom.  Do not over bake.

Thanks Ray for the starting recipe and the rest of you guys for posting your Tricks!...JJ

If the Boss wasn't baking cookies and then some biscuits for our 4 legged friends we would be trying these...thanks Chef JJ