Perfect Biscuits From Scratch Food

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.

PERFECT HOMEMADE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• The secret to excellent biscuits is COLD BUTTER. Really cold. Many times the biscuit dough gets worked so much that the butter softens before the biscuits even go in the oven. Try cutting the butter into small pieces and stick back in the fridge pulling out only when ready to incorporate into the dough.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Use a pastry cutter to cut cold butter into flour mixture. Don't go too crazy here - you want to see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough.
• Add in the milk and egg and mix just until the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky but don't keep working it. You should be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on to the top of dough so it won't stick to your fingers and knead 10-15 times. If the dough is super sticky just sprinkle on some additional flour.
• Pat the dough out to 3/4 - 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. I ended up with nine this time but depending on who is snacking on biscuit dough, I can get up to 12 biscuits.
• Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
• For extra yumminess, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter...

PERFECT BISCUITS FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Combine flour, sugar (optional), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix with a fork or whisk until combined.
• Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two forks. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
• Add milk to the flour mixture and stir to form a shaggy dough. Make sure not to overmix.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 3-4 times or until it comes together. Avoid overworking.
• Lightly flour your rolling pin (if the dough is sticky) and roll out the dough to about ¾ inch thickness.
• Cut biscuits out of dough using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, then place on an ungreased baking sheet. Make sure to cut your circles as close together as possible.
• Lightly brush each biscuit top with milk.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the biscuit tops are lightly golden.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
• Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.
• Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture. Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.
• Turn dough onto a floured work surface, pat together into a rectangle.
• Fold the rectangle in thirds. Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing dough a total of three times.
• Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick.
• Cut out 12 biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter.
• Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb.
• Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 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.

PERFECT SHORTCAKE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.
• Add shortening, and cut into dry ingredients.
• Add milk and egg yolk together, and mix just until all dry ingredients are moistened.
• Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 4-5 times (very lightly!) and pat dough into a 1/3 inch thickness.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
• Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve with berries or other cut fresh fruit and sweetened whipped cream.
• Yum!

HOMEMADE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
• Cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add milk all at once and mix till mixture follows fork around bowl.
• Turn out on lightly floured board.
• Knead gently for about 1/2 minute.
• Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick.
• Flour rim of glass or biscuit cutter and cut out biscuits.
• Put on (ungreased) cookie sheet and bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes.