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

[spidercook]

Hey ya'll! I am new to these forums, new to baking. Having grown up in the south, I am blessed with amazing memories of my grandmother cooking yummy breakfast foods like pancakes and amazing biscuits. Now that I have kids of my own, I want to share these warm memories with my little girls but alas, my baking skills leave much to be desired Which is why I am here.

After three failed attempts at biscuits from scratch, I'm looking for some help. My most recent attempt can be seen here:

As you can see, flat, non fluffy biscuits. They also happened to taste bland and kind of floury.

This time around I used the following ingredients from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion cookbook:

2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2.5 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoods butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 large egg

My 'process':

a-I mixed flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together.
b- I cut the butter into tiny cubes and tossed them into the dry mix along w/the shortening
c- used my hands to work the butter and shortening into the mix. I stopped when I had all the butter into various lumps and the shortening was clearly merge with the mix
d-I whisked the egg and milk and then poured it into the mix and stirred for just a bit, till the mix was no longer wet but still very lumpy and dryish...
e- dumped it on a lightly floured surface and put flour on my hands as well and kneaded it about 4-6 times and then used my hands to flatten it out to about 3/4 inch thick.
f- cut the dough with a biscuit cutter- the exact one my grandmother used when I was a kid, matter of fact- and put them on a lightly greased pan.
g- baked for about 17 min till they look like you see above...

The one step I skipped was the recipe called for sticking the flattened out dough (before I used the cutter) into the freeze for 1 hour. I've never heard of doing this making biscuits from any other recipie and to be honest, I didn't have the patience to try it. But would that have made all the difference?


Can anyone see where I may have gone wrong?

Thanks for reading, eager to learn!

SpiderCook

 

[Alix]

2 cups flour
4 tsps baking powder
1/4 cup butter
2/3 - 3/4 milk
shake of sugar
shake of salt

Blend like pastry, then add the milk til dough sticks. Either cut out with a glass or make biscuit "blobs". This makes about a dozen small biscuits.

OK, so this is my usual recipe. I think your recipe has less baking powder (thus less rise) and less liquid but more fat. I think maybe part of the issue might be how you mixed it? Did you use cold fat and cut it in like pastry? It works better that way. I have another TNT biscuit recipe that might work for you. Comparisons at least will help you adjust your current recipe.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

1½ cup cold butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 to 1 cup cold buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425; grease a baking sheet or use a sheet of parchment paper.
Cut in butter and flour coarsely. Add milk, stir to just incorporate. Turn out on floured board, knead 3-4 times. Pat dough out to a rectangle 3/4 inch thick. Cut out biscuits, place on baking sheet. Dip your knuckles into a small dish of buttermilk, and lightly indent the biscuits. Bake 13-15 minutes, til light brown.
To make drop biscuits, increase milk to 1 to 1 1¼ cups flour and drop biscuits on baking sheet.

 

[Selkie]

I would be certain that the unsalted butter and solid shortening (Crisco or lard) is very cold. Mixing with your hands should be quick and minimal to keep it from melting as much as possible.

And as a personal taste thing for southern biscuits, I would change from half-and-half to buttermilk. It provides more acid to react with the leavening.

Oh, and don't forget 1/8 tsp. of salt to Alix's Buttermilk Biscuit recipe (which is my favorite). This is not the time to worry about your salt intake, it HAS to be there, or your biscuits will taste flat.

 

[spidercook]

Thank you guys very much! I will try another batch later in the week with these tips.

One question: Alix, what do you mean 'mix like pastry'?

 

[Alix]

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.

 

[Alix]

Selkie, THANKS for the salt reminder. I can't believe that isn't in there.

 

[spidercook]

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.

Great! Now I get it! Toldja I was a noob! Thanks very much!

 

[lyndalou]

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.

 

[msmofet]

my mom never used a biscuit cutter and i don't either. i just knead and then pat out dough into a square and cut into rectangles. this saves me the trouble of having to re-roll or re-knead the dough and risk over working dough.

 

[letscook]

I use to make mine like alix but then i found this one by paula dean and that has become my favorite.
Sour Cream Muffins Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network

 

[Uncle Bob]

If you live in an area that offers White Lily brand flour...buy it!!!
Check the date on your baking powder....Make sure it's fresh.
Up the baking powder by 1/2 t. Or 1/4 t powder + 1/4 t. soda....
Use buttermilk, or a combination of mostly buttermilk with a little sweet milk added....
Increase the liquid to 3/4 cups more or less...The dough needs to be a little wet...not "very lumpy and dryish"...
When using your grandmother's biscuit cutter...Cut straight down, and straight back up...No twisting action!!!
Freeze the dough?? Never heard of it..However using cold butter, and not melting it from using warm hands may help....Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter/shortening to a grainy texture...The less you handle the dough the better....HTH

Have Fun!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Selkie, THANKS for the salt reminder. I can't believe that isn't in there.

Maybe it is --- It's In the SR flour... It's In the buttermilk, and possibly in the butter.

 

[BH51]

I use the simpler biscuit recipies, like Alix's....................but..
I don't use sugar......
I don't use half & half.......
I don't use any additional bells & whistles in simple biscuits.
I see no significance in cold vs room temp's...

I see a logic in lyndalou's cutter observation & may avoid
turning my glass/cutter next time, but I'm skeptical...

taste varies from one individual to the next so I avoid taste
related additions to recipes until I've mastered the cooking
process, firstly......then taste is implemented in increments
until all involved (family & friends) have reached a verdict,
or compromise......................................................BH51.

 

[Selkie]

...
I see no significance in cold vs room temp's...

You want the butter and/or solid shortening to remain in small chunks and mashed into layers when rolled out. This gives you your flakiness - layers of dough and layers of melted fat. Otherwise, if the butter/shortening melts before forming a layer and soaks into the dough, all you end up with is greasy dough and no flaky layers.

Using them as cold as possible extends the time you have between adding the fat and getting it into the oven.

 

[BH51]

You want the butter and/or solid shortening to remain in small chunks and mashed into layers when rolled out. This gives you your flakiness - layers of dough and layers of melted fat. Otherwise, if the butter/shortening melts before forming a layer and soaks into the dough, all you end up with is greasy dough and no flaky layers.

Using them as cold as possible extends the time you have between adding the fat and getting it into the oven.

Hmmm..........Makes sense...........thanks Selkie........................................BH51....

 

[Saphellae]

Mmm biscuits.. might make some tonight. I made some vegetable soup and they would go amazing. I cut mine with just a juice glass.

 

[Alix]

Bump. Couldn't find these recipes at work. Got 'em now.

 

[Roll_Bones]

Selkie. Thanks since i have no real thanks button.......LOL.

I agree with using cold butter or shortening. My wife was born and raised here in the deep south. She grew up making biscuits.
They cut in the shortening that is ice cold until its the consistency of dry concrete. Then they slowly add frwsh buttermilk until the dough forms. They use shortening. Not butter. The butter goes on at the table.......lol

My wife says the less you work the dough the better. You don't knead biscuit dough. As soon as it comes together, cut them out and bake them on very high heat. I think she uses 425F until golden brown on top.

She uses one of these tools to cut in the ice cold fat.

 

[cave76]

Lard was mentioned VERY briefly in an earlier post. Perhaps substituting the butter with cold lard might help. That's the way I got my pie crusts to be tender and not faux frisbees.

 

[Mad Cook]

As you can see, flat, non fluffy biscuits. They also happened to taste bland and kind of floury.

This time around I used the following ingredients from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion cookbook:

2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2.5 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoods butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 large egg

My 'process':

a-I mixed flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together.
b- I cut the butter into tiny cubes and tossed them into the dry mix along w/the shortening
c- used my hands to work the butter and shortening into the mix. I stopped when I had all the butter into various lumps and the shortening was clearly merge with the mix
d-I whisked the egg and milk and then poured it into the mix and stirred for just a bit, till the mix was no longer wet but still very lumpy and dryish...
e- dumped it on a lightly floured surface and put flour on my hands as well and kneaded it about 4-6 times and then used my hands to flatten it out to about 3/4 inch thick.
f- cut the dough with a biscuit cutter- the exact one my grandmother used when I was a kid, matter of fact- and put them on a lightly greased pan.
g- baked for about 17 min till they look like you see above...

The one step I skipped was the recipe called for sticking the flattened out dough (before I used the cutter) into the freeze for 1 hour. I've never heard of doing this making biscuits from any other recipie and to be honest, I didn't have the patience to try it. But would that have made all the difference?


Can anyone see where I may have gone wrong?

Thanks for reading, eager to learn!

SpiderCook

It could be too much handling of the dough when kneading and shaping - this is a fairly common problem with biscuits/scones.

The other thing that occurs to me is that your description in d) suggests that it might have been a tad too dry.

I use yoghourt for biscuits/scones as the acid works with the baking powder to improve the rising. You can also use buttermilk.

I've never heard of freezing biscuit/scone dough immediately before freezing. I've done it when I wanted to get ahead and made the dough a few days before I needed it but not as part of the usual baking method.

Hope this helps.