Why Most of America Is Terrible at Making Biscuits

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Why Most of America Is Terrible at Making Biscuits

There’s a scientific reason no one outside the South can nail them.

getpocket.com

 

[SueDonJ]

I guessed "it's gotta be lard" before opening the link only to find that I'm about as good at baking as I am at playing Connections - both flummox me to no end!

But I can make a wicked apron for anyone who plays the baking game!

 

[DrQ]

• Use a mixture of "Cake Flour" (soft wheat) and All Purpose Flour
• Don't overwork the dough (it will be ragged)
• I wouldn't use self-rising flour, but add the levining separately.

 

[CO skier]

Kitchen Experiments: What Flour Makes The Best Biscuits?

I'm a biscuit geek. Full on biscuit-obsessed. I couldn't even begin to count how many biscuits I've made in pursuit of biscuit perfection. Thus I share that wisdom with you, such that you might jump ahead a few steps.

www.wired.com

 

[ScoopKona]

And this is why I have White Lily flour sent to me automatically at regular intervals. I wouldn't use anything else to make biscuits. Just like I wouldn't use White Lily to make foccacia or rye bread.

 

[Snazzylass]

I didn't click on any links, but back in the day, I was awesome at making biscuits, and so was my kid. He loved them! I still have the old enamel top table, and maybe the biscuit cutters somewhere (likely ordered from Sur La Table before there were any stores nationwide).

When we vacationed in the South, I'd always pick up a bag of White Lily. (I honestly thought the pancakes at McDonald in NC tasted sweeter). I was told long ago that Northern Wheat is a hard kernel which is good for bread, while Southern Wheat is a soft one good for baking. Now I don't do wheat or baking much at all.

 

[geist1223]

The Cook Book I use is from the 1940's - Meta Givens.

 

[clifffaith]

Whomp the can on the counter, done!

 

[b2bailey]

After living in the South for a few years, I returned to California with a plan to perfect my biscuit making. Only problem was, as a recent widow I no longer had a taste tester. I haven't baked anything but protein and potatoes for years now.

 

[kanerf]

I work in the D.C. area and fortunately you can get White Lily flour in a number of stores here. I will have to get some and try my hand at making biscuits. Never have before, but I do like biscuits and gravy.

 

[easyrider]

Whomp the can on the counter, done!

Yup. The best biscuits are in the tube.

Bill

 

[Patri]

You all have inspired me to make bread in my bread machine, after years of it sitting idle on the kitchen counter. I will let you know how it turned out.

 

[stmartinfan]

If you decide to get serious about using your bread machine regularly, then you should purchase some bread flour. It's got the higher protein you need for great yeast breads—just like White Lily has the lower level that makes it good for biscuits.

 

[Patri]

Yes. I have to use up my old flour first. The loaf was in the machine all night. Tough to get it out. But tasty, so I will enjoy it for the rest of the week, or longer.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Because they are busy making calls to DoorDash or making reservations?
Even more than the usual pollution of click-bait headlines, this one made me double-take and shrug.

 

[ScoopKona]

If you decide to get serious about using your bread machine regularly, then you should purchase some bread flour. It's got the higher protein you need for great yeast breads—just like White Lily has the lower level that makes it good for biscuits.

I turn AP into bread flour by adding vital wheat gluten. How much I add depends on how much structure I want from my dough. Sandwich loaf, a little. Pizza dough, a little more. Doesn't take much and it's a LOT less expensive than buying bread flour.

A few grams in my basic foccacia recipe is sufficient.

AP can also be lightened by adding corn starch, but that doesn't work nearly as well as going the other direction with gluten.

 

[Wingo99]

So, when I use Bisquick to make biscuits they're telling me that is wrong. I thought they were ok, nevermind I've never had a biscuit from the south.

 

[pedro47]

Real biscuits are made with flour and water in a big mixing bowl.
You must mix the flour and water with your hands in the bowl and then lay the dough on a flat board. Cut the dough into biscuits size and cook them in an oven. LOL

 

[DeniseM]

You are missing the fat, salt, and leavener - besides that, it's a perfect biscuit recipe.

Or you could be making tortillas, but even tortillas usually have some salt.

Or are you using self-rising flour which already has salt & leavener? (but not fat)

 

[ScoopKona]

So, when I use Bisquick to make biscuits they're telling me that is wrong. I thought they were ok, nevermind I've never had a biscuit from the south.

I agree with "they" in this case.

Bisquick is consistent and convenient. But results in baked goods I don't care to eat. Prepared mixes in general are mediocre. The alternative is keeping a sourdough starter alive on your counter, always having yeast available, having at least two types of flour around. (I always have soft, AP, semolina and rye along with vital wheat gluten to create bread flour.) And having fresh NaHCO3. Until I moved, I also kept baker's ammonia (aka Hartshorn) as a leavener.

I get it why people don't want to go through that bother if they're making pancakes or biscuits rarely.

I bake twice each week because a loaf of bread sells for $12 here. I can buy a 50-pound sack of flour for only a few dollars more and have bread for months. And besides, home-baked bread is better than store-bought for the same reason that homemade cookies taste better than Chips Ahoy.

 

[DrQ]

Yes. I have to use up my old flour first. The loaf was in the machine all night. Tough to get it out. But tasty, so I will enjoy it for the rest of the week, or longer.

You could also explore "no knead" bread recipes. If you have a cast iron dutch oven, it is really simple to make.

No-Knead Bread | The Bittman Project

Since Jim Lahey and I first shared this innovation — the word “recipe” does not do the technique justice — in the New York Times in 2006, thousands of people have made it. For many, it was their first foray into bread baking, the one that showed that the process isn’t scary, although the end...

bittmanproject.com