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Prep Time10 minutes
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Cook Time15 to 20 minutes
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Serving4
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Here are my tips for success with these biscuits. First of all, mix the batter at the last minute before you pop the shaped biscuits into a hot, hot 450 degrees oven. That’s what it takes in my oven, anyway. Maybe yours is hotter than mine, but for me a very high temp works. Second: work with cold ingredients, especially the solid Crisco (which you buy in sticks) that should be refrigerated. Run your hands under cold water and dry them before you rub/snap the Crisco into the flour. Then, pour in about 3/4 cup of the buttermilk and pour in more if you need it. Use your hands! My grandmother made these with her hands, and she would scrape that sticky biscuit dough off her fingers while working with it, forming the rough shaggy mass in the bowl, then dumping it onto a flour dusted surface and turning it over 3 or 4 times (that’s all!). Then grab a slightly-larger-than-golf ball size of dough, and spin it in the palms of your hands until you have a smooth sphere. Place each biscuit in the pan and gently pat down the top of it with the backs of your fingers. The biscuits are soft and about 2 inches thick when you put them in the oven. Don’t overcook them! They are just barely browned on top and a little more golden on bottom when they are done… make sure they are cooked through and as soon as they are… eat them! Slather with butter and marmalade or top a bowl of soup with them. These biscuits should be eaten hot right out of the oven. Only the dogs love them cold!
Ingredients
BISCUITS
Directions
All ingredients should be as cold as possible. Once you start working with the dough, your hands will be sticky so have everything on the counter top and ready to go. Be sure when you flour your surface to shape the dough, you use All Purpose flour for that because self-rising flour has a distinctive taste to it and you don't want your biscuits dusted with self-rising flour. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Scoop out 2 cups of flour and sift it into a large bowl.
With the tips of your fingers, incorporate the Crisco into the flour. You are "snapping" your fingers, blending the fat into the flour until you have gotten rid of all large pieces of fat... the fat will be the size of large peas when you have incorporated it into the flour.
Add the buttermilk. Use your hands to mix the dough. It will be wet and sticky but it will come together in a big ball. You want it to be a little sticky because when you dump it on your flour dusted surface, it will pick up some more flour as you work.
You may need to dust your hands in flour also. Turn the dough over itself about 3 times until it is not sticky anymore but holds together well.
Form the biscuits: Pinch off a slightly larger than golf ball piece of dough and roll it between the palms of your hands to form a thick round biscuit. Place it in the pan and with the backs of your fingers, pat it down ever so slightly. You should have about 6 biscuits.
Bake at 425 to 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot!
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