I'd like to see which recipe you use for your biscuits. I found a recipe awhile back for a "homemade ready biscuit mix" that you can make a large batch of and refrigerate until you're ready to use. This is really handy because it's like Bisquick but without the "prefab food guilt". When you make biscuits with it you're not supposed to add any lard (the mix recipe calls for a reasonably small amount of oil). I found that by adding less milk to the mix my biscuits were lighter, but not as light as I'd like them to be. What I really crave to make are those super light, flaky biscuits. If you or anyone else could share your secret for those I'd be ever so grateful, and my hubby doubly so.
I'm glad to share this with you!
It's nothing fancy, but its quick and easy. From beginning to end (including cleanup while baking) I can have hot biscuits in about 30 minutes.
Note: Being single I don't need a lot of biscuits hanging around, so this recipe makes only 4, 2 for breakfast and 2 with peanut butter and jelly for lunch. You can easily double it.
Southern Biscuits
1 cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbls. Very Cold Cubed Lard or Butter (Lard is better!)
1/2 cup Buttermilk (or 1/2 cup of whole milk mixed with 1 tbls. of white vinegar and let set for 5 minutes before using.)
1 Tbls. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. baking Powder
2 Pinches (1/8 tsp.) of Baking Soda
Flour for kneading
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Into a food processor add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and lard or butter. Pulse a few times until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3.) Empty food processor mixture into a mixing bowl. Blend in buttermilk with a spatula just until the dough comes together. The dough will be sticky. Let it set for 5-10 minutes to hydrate all of the flour.
4.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently by folding the dough 5 to 6 times. (DO NOT overwork the dough!)
5.) Using your hand, press the dough until it's about 2 inches thick.
6.) Cut out biscuits with a 2-1/2 or 3 -inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Do not twist the cutter. (Twisting the cutter will cause the biscuits not to rise straight up).
7.) Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. (I use a cake pan)
8.) Brush the tops with milk.
9.) Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Makes four (4) biscuits.