Why Most of America Is Terrible at Making Biscuits - There’s a scientific reason no one outside the South can nail them


Olde Hornet

Well-Known Member
I knew this before reading, flour, my aunts and mom used White Lily for baking. People have to remember, that baking is science, cooking is an art.

The more bad biscuits I ordered in New York, the clearer it became that there was only one way out of this problem if I ever wanted to have a decent Sunday breakfast again: I had to make the biscuits for myself. I did not anticipate the hurdles of chemistry and the American food-distribution system that stood in my way.

I asked my mom to email me the recipe, and it was three ingredients (self-rising flour, shortening, and buttermilk), mashed together with a fork. I’m not an accomplished baker, but I cook frequently, and this was the kind of recipe that had long been used by people without a lot of money, advanced kitchen tools, or fancy ingredients. Confident that I could pull it off, I marched right out and bought the ingredients. The result: biscuits that were just as terrible as all the other ones in New York. Not to be dramatic, but my failure destabilized my identity a little bit. What kind of southerner can’t make biscuits?

In subsequent attempts, I tried everything I could think of to get it right. I worried about buttermilk quality, so I bought an expensive bottle at the farmers’ market, which did nothing. I tried different fat sources, including butter and lard, which made small differences in flavor and texture but still resulted in a shape and density better suited for a hockey rink than a plate. I made sure all of my ingredients were ice-cold when I started mixing, which is a good tip in general, but did not fix my problem. I kneaded the dough more or less, made it wetter or drier. The only thing left was the flour, but I figured it couldn’t be that—wasn’t self-rising flour the same everywhere? We had just used regular grocery-store flour back home.
 
Man, those frozen ones work the best to me. Taste just like from scratch.
Image result for frozen biscuits
 
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I like the frozen Pillsbury grand butter tastin' biscuits myself. Works for me. I have never seen or heard of the MARY B's brand. If I happen to run across them in a grocery store, I will give them a try.
 
I like the frozen Pillsbury grand butter tastin' biscuits myself. Works for me. I have never seen or heard of the MARY B's brand. If I happen to run across them in a grocery store, I will give them a try.
There in the Walmart breakfast frozen items. I think they are better.
 
I make a heck of a biscuit. I use to work at Hardee's in the early nineties when they actually made biscuits from scratch. As a manager I had to learn how to do everything. My family loves when I make them.
 
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