The secret to fluffy biscuits?

Question

Any recommendations welcome.

Answer 1

When I make biscuits, I usually avoid the neading and rolling process all together. I prefer to make drop-biscuits. They tend to be very fluffy, and crumble easily (which makes them the best for biscuits and gravy, the main reason I make them). The only draw back to this is that they tend to crumble a little more than may be desired when you put a sausage patty between it. None the less, the lack of neading and rolling leaves them very soft.

-xlii

Answer 2

Use part cake flour instead of some of the all-purpose flour. There is a brand produced down in the south US called White Lilly that is a softer wheat flour, especially for the southern preference for fluffy biscuits. Since it's hard to get in most places, you can use cake flour to mix in to regular flour and get roughly the same effect. I mix about half and half, but you will need to experiment to find your particular preference. Also, as the first person noted, don't overwork your dough. You cut the butter or shortening in until it looks like you still have tiny pea size pieces- not cornmeal looking stuff. As you add liquid, mix in just to form the dough. Turn it out, pat in out and cut, without trying to work the dough or knead it. Be sure you use a sharp biscuit cutter, if it is dull is squish cuts the dough and won't rise as high and fluffy. Also, don't be tempted to cut corners and use self rising flour. The leavening in that is often old and not always reliable to get the highest fluffiest biscuits, and if the acid balance is off your biscuits will have a funny metallic taste in them from the left over soda in it.
You can use all milk, all buttermilk, or a mix of the two as a liquid. There are folks with all of the above preferences. I like a mix myself, but that's up to you. I don't think it's all that critical except once you start adding liquid you don't want to mess with mixing any more than absolutely necessary. If your dough is a bit on the wet side, just be sure to have extra on the board when you dump it out, and on your hands to pat it out. Don't try mixing in more flour or you'll get tough biscuits for sure. Damp dough may not rise as high, but they won't be as tough as if you mix in more flour to the dough. Good luck in the biscuit arena.

Answer 3

To make super light biscuits, you'll alter your normal biscuit recipt just a tiny bit. Prepare the oatmeal as usual -- but, since the prepared oatmeal is fairly liquid, it'll make your biscuit dough into a batter ... IF you add the normal amount of milk!

So ... cut down on your milk portion. Add a little milk to the oatmeal, then add your dry ingredients, then slowly mix, adding more milk a little bit at a time as necessary.

One other change -- since you'll be using less milk, the baking powder in your mix won't have as much acid to react to. This means your biscuits won't rise like they normally do unless you give them a little bit of help. I like to toss a squeeze of lemon juice into the mix. You won't taste the lemon, but it'll supercharge your baking powder.

Again, your dough will be a little frothy. You'll use less milk and the dough will not be as dense as usual. If you're rolling the dough and using a biscuit cutter, roll your dough a little thicker than normal before cutting.

That's all -- bake as normal and your result will be biscuits light enough to float off the pan! :)

Answer 4

if you are doing them from scratch and when you roll them out don't over work your dough or they will be tough so when you go to cut them go straight down with the cutter do not cut and twist this is an extra working of the dough that isn't needed and you should be good to go