Dave, I think you are on to something here. Puff pastry is made that way, just there you have to be REALLY exact so it rises equally.
Al, How about making the dough with everyting but the butter... Then grate the butter on the dough, fold, roll, grate more butter, fold, roll, grate more butter etc.... add a sprinkle of flour as needed.... until the butter is gone.... ????? My thoughts on this.... will that work ??
Am I over thinking the making of biscuits here ???? Dave
Foam them are the type of biscuits I was raised on.Mom and Grandma both had their flour bowls strictly for making biscuits.I never seen either one measure any thing.Made a small scooped area in the middle of the flour add the other ingrediants and pulled the flour into the mix till it was correct.They could make 10 or 12 batches in that bowl before adding more flour.
If you can write down a recipe, can't be perfect biscuits!
3C Flour (Every Mom, although any flour can be made into biscuits, has that one favorite)!
salt
Baking powder (To rise)
Baking soda (to stabilize)
Little bacon grease or butter
Buttermilk.
Black iron skillet with bacon grease or lard in the bottom of the pan never seen them flip them.The few times my Dad ever cooked supper it was fried eggs and bacon or popcorn sometimes both so we couldnt tell mom when she got home we was hungry.hahahaha
My Dad made the biscuits, I asked Mom one time why she hadn't learned since it wasn't hard. She said if your Dad can make such good biscuits, I don't need to. He always did the biscuits, course breakfast was always his meal anyway. Thanksgiving for the stuffing, Pop's biscuits. Mom made the cornbread!
I bet your Mom/Grandma put the bacon grease in the heated biscuit pan, then you drop in a biscuit and flip it over so some of the grease is on top?