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 Because they were originally made in an area where the temperature is very hot, so butter would melt.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
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. We default to our Land O Lakes® Salted Butter when baking biscuits.
What are the 3 steps for the biscuit method? ›
Procedure: Biscuit Method
- Scale and measure all ingredients.
- Sift the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the shorting or butter into the dry ingredient mixture using the paddle attachment. ...
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, mixing only until combined.
If your biscuits are falling apart…
If this sounds familiar, you could be adding too much flour to your dough without knowing it, disrupting the ratio of dry to wet ingredients.
What makes Southern biscuits so good? ›
Here's the Reason Biscuits in the South Really Are Better
The not-so-secret ingredient they rely upon is soft wheat flour. Soft wheat thrives in temperate, moist climates like that of the mid-Atlantic, so cooks in those areas have had access to its special flour for a long time.
What does adding an egg to biscuits do? ›
As it turns out, adding hard-boiled egg yolks to your biscuit dough is a way to ward off an overworked, tough dough that can be the downfall of a butter-based pastry. When the trick is employed, the pastry shatters and then dissolves in your mouth quickly, tasting like a knob of flaky butter.
What kind of flour do southerners use for biscuits? ›
Besides being passed down by beloved grandmothers, Southern biscuits are typically made with flour made from soft red winter wheat, such as White Lily.
Is it better to use milk or buttermilk in biscuits? ›
While the quantity of acid could be fine-tuned, the consistency of milk-based substitutions will be unavoidably thin. Compared to cultured buttermilk, plain milk is watery, making the dough so heavy and wet that it oozes into a puddle, turning the biscuits flat and dense.
Which liquid makes the best biscuits? ›
Selecting the liquid for your 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.
Which is better for biscuits, butter or shortening? ›
Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!
How do you make my biscuits rise higher? ›
Embrace stacking. In biscuit-making, height and flakiness go hand in hand. Why? Because the layers of butter that get compressed and stacked as you build your biscuits are what create those flakey biscuit bits, and they also create steam in the oven — which helps the biscuits to expand as tall as possible.
The key to making great biscuits is to use cold butter. We dice up the butter and then refrigerate it until ready to use. Cold butter will produce the fluffiest layers in your biscuits. Do not over-mix – once liquids touch the flour, mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Do you flip biscuits when baking? ›
The biscuits take about 14 to 16 minutes of baking. You can rotate them after about 8 minutes to get a more even bake. Keep a close eye on them, they should be pale to golden brown in color. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
What is the secret to a good biscuit? ›
It's super simple and makes tall, fluffy biscuits ready for breakfast, sandwiches, and more! The secret to the best biscuits is using very cold butter and baking powder. We've made a lot of biscuits, but this easy biscuits recipe is the one we turn to the most (they are so fluffy!).
Why can't northerners make biscuits? ›
In the North, the flour was milled from hard winter wheat, which has a higher protein level — great for bread and other baked goods, but not ideal for biscuits, as it can make them tough.
Which is better for biscuits, bleached or unbleached flour? ›
Ultimately, the flour you choose to bake with is entirely up to you. Bleached and unbleached flours can both be used interchangeably in any recipe without a major discernable difference.
What makes biscuits taste better? ›
Use good butter and dairy
Because biscuit recipes call for so few ingredients, it's important that every one is high quality—you'll really taste the difference. Catherine recommends splurging a bit on a grass-fed butter or European-style butter (now's the time to reach for Kerrygold!).
How do you get a good rise on biscuits? ›
Cut off uneven edges and put these scraps to the side; clean cuts on all sides will encourage rise. Pat scraps together to make 1 odd-shaped ninth biscuit. Place biscuits close together in a 9-inch square pan and brush with melted salted butter. Place pan on top of the warm stove for 10 to 15 minutes to rise.
What are 2 causes of tough biscuits? ›
Tough
- Gluten in flour overdeveloped. ...
- Ratio of dry ingredients to fats and liquids too high. ...
- Used wrong type of flour. ...
- The wrong kind of measuring cup was used. ...
- Vegetable oil spread contains less fat and more water than butter or margarine. ...
- Oven was too hot and product overbaked.
Cold butter is key to making your biscuits fluffy. Warm butter will be absorbed into the flour and prevent them becoming all fluffy. Its similar to making pie crust. Cold butter will not be fully absorbed by the flour which means you will have small chunks visible in the dough.
