carolelaine
Senior Cook
I have been making biscuits for awhile and sometimes they come out too crumbly. What causes this lack of structural integrity? Is it the amount of shortening, or liquid, or is it the way they were patted out?
Biscuits fall apart
- Thread starter carolelaine
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Can you post your recipe and method? It will help a bit to figure this out. Just off the top of my head I'd go with either not enough liquid or the shortening is cut up too fine for everything to "stick" well.
carolelaine
Senior Cook
I use around 4 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
5 tablespoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablesppons of solid shortening
1/2 or more buttermilk until dough incorporates
I don't really have a set recipe, I learned biscuits from my Grammy but I don't think hers ever fell apart.
1 tsp of salt
5 tablespoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablesppons of solid shortening
1/2 or more buttermilk until dough incorporates
I don't really have a set recipe, I learned biscuits from my Grammy but I don't think hers ever fell apart.
OK, for 4 cups of flour I would be using about 1/2 cup (total) of butter/shortening. You have about way less than that. If 1/2 cup is too much maybe you could split the difference? You're just under 1/4 cup so maybe add at least one more tbsp?
I'd also be using about 1 - 1.5 cups of liquid in that amount of flour.
Thats just the way I was taught though. You may get better replies from someone else here.
I'd also be using about 1 - 1.5 cups of liquid in that amount of flour.
Thats just the way I was taught though. You may get better replies from someone else here.
carolelaine
Senior Cook
Thank you Alix, so in your experience I am using too little shortening and that is making them fall apart. I will experiment with this formula this weekend.
boufa06
Executive Chef
I am afraid you have too much baking powder in your biscuit recipe. 5 tablespoons for 4 cups of flour, which is about 600gm is excessive. Depending on the ingredients, most biscuits recipes have very little baking powder or none at all. I suggest that you reduce it to 2-1/2 tablespoons the next time you prepare it. Oven temperature should be 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F.
Last edited:
I hadn't really taken note of the baking powder. For 4 cups I would use only 3 tbsps. I'm not convinced though that an excess of baking powder would cause your biscuits to fall apart. I think it far more likely that you just need to increase the "wet" ingredients.
mudbug
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm thinking all that baking powder has to have something to do with it. Pretty poufy results, I would bet. But yes, add some more wet stuff as well.
carolelaine
Senior Cook
Ok, I have never thought it had anything to do with baking powder, but yes I think it could make things too poufy. So I will increase the wet and decrease the baking powder and see what happens. Thank you for all of your helpful thoughts.
I would suggest you use Alix's recipe or someone's. As much as I know you love(d) your grammy, I think you don't have her real recipe. There is just too much out of kilter. As I am sure you already know, biscuits, like most baked goods, require a certain relationship of the ingredients for the chemistry of the baking to work correctly.
And oven temp for biscuits is usually closer to 400*--maybe 375*.
And oven temp for biscuits is usually closer to 400*--maybe 375*.
Last edited:
Just for reference, here is my biscuit recipe. Its pretty forgiving in terms of doubling or tripling.
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.
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.
my recipe:
4 c flour
2 heaping T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c butter
1 1/2 c milk
combine dry ingredients. cut in butter until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea. add milk all at once and fold in with a fork until dough just comes together. turn out onto well floured surface. give 2 or 3 gentle kneads to form a ball. pat out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inches. cut out to 2 1/2 or 3 inch circles. place touching in a baking pan with 1 or 2 inch walls. bake in preheated 425 degree farenheit for about 12 to 15 minutes.
not your standard technique, but since i prefer flakier bistcuits, i pat it out quickly to about 1 inch thick, cut into quarters, stack them, and repeat another 2 times or so. most people just pat it out once, which gives a more crumbly, cakelike result. for cobblers, i add some sugar & enough milk to make it just barely pourable (also, only about 1/2 the above recipe).
good luck
4 c flour
2 heaping T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c butter
1 1/2 c milk
combine dry ingredients. cut in butter until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea. add milk all at once and fold in with a fork until dough just comes together. turn out onto well floured surface. give 2 or 3 gentle kneads to form a ball. pat out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inches. cut out to 2 1/2 or 3 inch circles. place touching in a baking pan with 1 or 2 inch walls. bake in preheated 425 degree farenheit for about 12 to 15 minutes.
not your standard technique, but since i prefer flakier bistcuits, i pat it out quickly to about 1 inch thick, cut into quarters, stack them, and repeat another 2 times or so. most people just pat it out once, which gives a more crumbly, cakelike result. for cobblers, i add some sugar & enough milk to make it just barely pourable (also, only about 1/2 the above recipe).
good luck
Similar threads
