When I saw gullah biscuits in Southern Biscuits, they intrigued me. Not only is butter replaced with oil, but there are eggs in these biscuits. Why oil? Because they were originally made in an area where the temperature is very hot, so butter would melt. Thus, oil made sense.
The eggs give the biscuits an interesting yellow tint. Compared to a standard biscuit, you could see the difference even before you broke the biscuits open and they added rich flavor as well.
What Worked: If you're working in a hot kitchen, it's great to have a biscuit recipe that doesn't require keeping butter cold.
What Didn't: This dough was incredibly wet, so I needed to add considerably more flour than suggested to get a workable dough. But that's fine - it all worked out and the resulting biscuits were just good. Next time, I'd cut back more on the milk from the start.
Suggested Tweaks: I'd like to play with the idea of adding flavored oil instead of a neutral oil. Chive oil? Might be interesting.
Adapted from Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart. Copyright © 2011. Published by Gibbs Smith. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved
Recipe Details
Gullah Biscuits Recipe
Active15 mins
Total40 mins
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milkor buttermilk, divided
Butter, softened or melted, for finishing
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Select the baking pan by determining if a soft or crisp exterior is desired. For a soft exterior, select a 8- or 9-inch cake pan, pizza pan, or oven-proof skillet where the biscuits will nestle together snugly, creating the soft exterior while baking. For a crisp exterior, select a baking sheet or other baking pan where the biscuits can be placed wider apart, allowing air to circulate and creating a crisper exterior, and brush the pan with butter.
Fork-sift or whisk 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, preferably wider than it is deep, and set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Fold in the cooking oil.
Make a deep hollow in the center of the flour with the back of your hand. Lightly beat the eggs with 1 cup of the buttermilk, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup, and pour into the hollow. Stir with a rubber spatula or large metal spoon, using broad circular strokes to quickly pull the flour into the liquid. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the sticky dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If there is some flour remaining on the bottom and sides of the bowl, stir in 1 to 4 tablespoons of reserved buttermilk, just enough to incorporate the remaining flour into the shaggy, wettish dough. If the dough is too wet, use more flour when shaping.
Lightly sprinkle a board or other clean surface using some of the reserved flour. Turn the dough out onto the board and sprinkle the top lightly with flour. With floured hands, fold the dough in half, and pat dough out into a 1/3- to 1/2-inch thick round, using a little additional flour only if needed. Flour again if necessary and fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still clumpy, pat and fold a third time. Pat dough out into a 1/2-inch thick round for a normal biscuit, 3/4-inch thick for a tall biscuit, and 1-inch-thick for a giant biscuit. Brush off any visible flour from the top. For each biscuit, dip a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter onto the reserved flour and cut out the biscuits, starting a the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. The scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits, although these scraps make tougher biscuits.
Using a metal spatula if necessary, move the biscuits to the pan or baking sheet. Bake the biscuits on the top rack of the oven for a total of 20 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness, until light golden brown. After 10 minutes, rotate the pan in the oven so that the front of the pan is now turned to the back, and check to see if the bottoms are browning too quickly. If so, slide another baking pan underneath to add insulation and retard browning. Continue baking another 10 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are light golden brown. When the biscuits are done, remove them from the oven and lightly brush the tops with butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down on a plate to cool slightly. Serve hot, right side up.
FAQs
Use Cold Butter for Biscuits
For flaky layers, use cold butter. When you cut in the butter, you have coarse crumbs of butter coated with flour. When the biscuit bakes, the butter will melt, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside.
Which liquid makes the best biscuits? ›
Just as important as the fat is the liquid used to make your biscuits. Our Buttermilk Biscuit recipe offers the choice of using milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk is known for making biscuits tender and adding a zippy tang, so we used that for this test.
How do you do the biscuit method? ›
The biscuit-method, also used for scones, is prepared by sifting together the dry ingredients including flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, the fat is then cut into the dry ingredients, and the mixture is folded together with the liquid producing a dense yet flakey texture.
Why do my homemade biscuits fall apart? ›
When the fat is cut too small, after baking there will be more, smaller air pockets left by the melting fat. The result is a baked product that crumbles. When cutting in shortening and other solid fats, cut only until the pieces of shortening are 1/8- to 1/4-inch in size.
What not to do when making biscuits? ›
5 Mistakes You're Making With Your Biscuits
- Mistake #1: Your butter is too warm.
- Mistake #2: You're using an inferior flour.
- Mistake #3: You use an appliance to mix your batter.
- Mistake #4: You don't fold the dough enough.
- Mistake #5: You twist your biscuit cutter.
Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor to the biscuits and makes them slightly more tender. Butter: We use salted European butter in this recipe. It will work with unsalted or salted butter. I like the extra saltiness of salted butter, but you can reduce the salt to 3/4 teaspoon if you prefer.
Is butter or crisco better in biscuits? ›
So what's the final verdict? Butter is the winner here. The butter biscuits were moister with that wonderful butter taste and melt-in-your mouth texture. I'd be curious to test out substituting half or just two tablespoons of the butter with shortening to see if you get the best of both.
Are biscuits better with buttermilk or milk? ›
Buttermilk adds a nice tang to the biscuit flavor and helps them rise better.
What kind of flour is used in Southern biscuits? ›
While there are plenty of flour varieties to choose from, White Lily reigns above all else for Southern bakers and is the crème de la crème when it comes to the flour we use for any biscuit recipe.
What are the 2 most important steps when making biscuits? ›
The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.
Bake them close to each other.
Biscuits are an exception to this rule: Placing them close to one another on your baking sheet actually helps them push each other up, as they impede each other from spreading outward and instead puff up skywards.
What are the 7 steps in the biscuit method? ›
Making biscuits is basically composed of seven steps:
- Mix some dry ingredients.
- "Cut" in some fat.
- Mix in some liquid.
- Knead the dough.
- Roll out the dough.
- Cut biscuits.
- Bake.
A hot oven helps biscuits bake—and rise—quickly. We recommend 475˚F for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are lightly brown.
Should you let biscuit dough rest? ›
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat two more times. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Why do biscuits rise better when touching? ›
Whether using a cast iron skillet or a baking tray, lay your biscuits so they are touching sides and all connected. This helps them rise higher, as they provide support for one another as they bake – kind of like a doughy shoulder to lean on!
What are 2 important steps when making biscuits? ›
The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.
What is the most important step in biscuit making? ›
Mixing. The multi-stage mixing method is preferred for its ability to produce consistent doughs which are not fully developed. Blending all dry ingredients to rub or cut the shortening into the flour until fat is fully distributed and pea-sized lumps are visible.
Are biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›
Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!
What fat makes the best biscuits? ›
In terms of flakiness, the best fat for making biscuits is probably lard, and vegetable shortening is the next best. In terms of flavor, however, butter is undoubtedly the best, with lard a close second.
