Biscuits- 3rd failed attempt- Can u help me?

[Mad Cook]

I'v also read (or seen on t.v.) that you should cut the biscuits without turning whatever cutter you are using. Supposedly, turning the implement will retard rising somewhat.

Haven't heard that it retards rising but it can give you slightly oval biscuits/scones rather than round ones

 

[cowman]

This is the thread (from google search) that brought me to DC.
I have been experimenting, trying to recreate my mother's biscuits and have just about got it but the path has been fraught with plenty of tossed-right-into-the-garbage biscuits too.
The usual problems. Won't rise and visually and taste wise resembled something called a hockey puck. (I'm not sure what that is)
1/2 solved by using self-rising flour. The puckiness was solved by making sure the dough was moist and (contrary to comments above) putting the formed dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before turning out on the board, AND, by not kneading it too much.

The other problem I ran into was crumbly biscuits, caused by too much flour/not enough fat/not enough liquid (milk).
I have not been able to find any Lily White flour nearby, but will give it a try.
My question now is.
Is margarine (Country Crock type) a close enough facsimile to be used instead of butter for southern biscuits?

 

[RCJoe]

I also follow the "don't turn the biscuit cutter" method.

There was an old time donut shop near the local University and I'd watch the baker there cut the donuts. He was very fast. He would cut and then tap the cutter in a pile of flour. I spoke with him about it and that was when he mentioned not to turn the cutter. But flouring the cutter with each cut
allowed it to release easily and that was where he got his speed.

When I asked about not turning the cutter he explained it would seal the edges if that were done and inhibit the donut from rising properly. The straight cut wouldn't have that effect thus a better rise.

On another time I was by his shop when he was making donuts he indicated that weather conditions would have influence on his finished product too.

 

[taxlady]

This is the thread (from google search) that brought me to DC.
I have been experimenting, trying to recreate my mother's biscuits and have just about got it but the path has been fraught with plenty of tossed-right-into-the-garbage biscuits too.
The usual problems. Won't rise and visually and taste wise resembled something called a hockey puck. (I'm not sure what that is)
1/2 solved by using self-rising flour. The puckiness was solved by making sure the dough was moist and (contrary to comments above) putting the formed dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before turning out on the board, AND, by not kneading it too much.

The other problem I ran into was crumbly biscuits, caused by too much flour/not enough fat/not enough liquid (milk).
I have not been able to find any Lily White flour nearby, but will give it a try.
My question now is.
Is margarine (Country Crock type) a close enough facsimile to be used instead of butter for southern biscuits?

From Hockey puck - Wikipedia

A hockey puck is a disk made of vulcanized rubber that serves the same functions in various games as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport. A hockey puck has also been referred to as a "Flat Ball."

The small, round, black thing near the bottom of this picture is a hockey puck.

Okay, that was mostly for humour, but we do take hockey seriously here in Canada.

 

[Alix]

Country crock margarine has a significant portion of water in it. I would suggest you look at the ingredients in your margarine and make sure there isn't a high % of water in your margarine. I'd stick with butter myself.

You've never seen a hockey puck? Its made of very hard rubber. Imagine a piece of your tire cut into biscuit shape.

Good luck with the biscuits.

 

[cowman]

Are they good to eat?
Thank God... I was afraid these were hockey pucks.



Alix. Thanks for the input. The water quantity may be a serious issue with one batch I made with 50/50 margarine/Crisco, and be the reason they were so crumbly. (I assume the water cooked out and left the pastry too dry)

My wife has a serious aversion to the taste of real butter (i don't know why) so I unfortunately try to avoid using much of it.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Paula Deen has the best biscuit recipe I have ever made, or eaten!

Paula Deen's Cream Biscuits​

Ingredients:

2 cups self rising flour (plus more for dusting)
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and cream until the dough forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with flour. Fold the dough in half and kneed 5-7times adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to your hands.

Gently roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and, using a 3 inch biscuit cutter coated with flour, cut dough into biscuits. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan one inch apart.

Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 

[cowman]

Sir_Loin, I had looked at that P. Deane several weeks ago and discounted it because of the # of times it was kneaded and the thinness of the rolled out dough. I didn't think it would rise enough to obtain the results I was looking for but I'll give it a shot after I get to the gro store next time. Thanks.

 

[Alix]

cowman, you mention you are kneading the dough. The tenderest biscuits aren't kneaded much. The less you work the dough the better they are.

Try Parkay margarine maybe? There are lots of baking margarines that don't have a ton of water in them, but I know for sure that one doesn't have too much.

 

[cowman]

The best ones I made, I just mixed the dry and wet ingredients, including the fats in the bowl with a biig spoon, stuck it in fridge for about 15 minutes and turned the ball out on to the board with the spoon and just pressed the dough out with my floured hand to about 3/4-1" thick before cutting the biscuits out, so I don't knead it or handle the dough much at all.

I will look into parkay and those 'baking sticks' too. I had pretty good luck with them in other baking projects.

 

[Alix]

That sounds like the right method. Just barely mixing until they are incorporated
and then cut them out and let them rip!

 

[jennyema]

When you mix something like pastry you either use a pastry blender, or a couple of butter knives to cut the fat into the flour. Place the dry ingredients in the bowl first, then put the cold fat on top. Use a couple of knives and cut the fat into small pieces (usually pea sized or smaller for biscuits). It will mix with the flour and give you a nicer biscuit.

I make biscuits a lot, surprisingly successfully.

I use the technique from Nathalie Dupree’s xcellent cookbook “Southern Biscuits.”

Cube very cold fat into 1/4 to 1/2 inche cubes. Scatter over dry ingredients. With your thumb and forefinger work the fat into the flour using a finger-snapping action. Manually working in the fat helps laminate the biscuit.

 

[jennyema]

Also try using self rising flour and buttermilk. No baking powder.

Also try leaving out the egg.