Baking Powder Biscuits
These baking powder biscuits are about as nostalgic to me as recipes come. Another ancestor from the family recipe box, we’d eat these with my great grandmother’s beef stew (although I was always partial to having them with butter and jam!). My memory of these biscuits is of me sitting at the counter while either my grandmother or mom kneaded them and cut them out with a glass or soup can or whatever circular object was handy. I always vividly remember these biscuits being quite high once baked – darling little bread giants just waiting to be eaten.
Recipe Notes for these Baking Powder Biscuits:
- They’re simple and quick and make just enough for a family meal. How many biscuits this recipe makes is determined by what you use as a biscuit cutter. A large rim glass will probably yield around 6. A smaller circle will be about 8. There will likely be just enough dough left after cutting out the biscuits for one special, very rustic biscuit…aka the “lumpy” biscuit (My mom always claimed this is the best one, and I quite agree!). It’s an easy recipe to scale up.
- These are best fresh from the oven. Eating these within a couple hours of baking is when the crumb is most soft. You can, of course, eat them a day later, but they do dry out quickly. I have been known to pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds the day after baking. They’re still tasty but never as good as fresh.
- In order to get the height that you see in my photos, you’re going to do what I call “fake lamination”. You’ll knead the dough for a minute or two and then fold and roll the dough a few times to create some layers.
Did you enjoy this family recipe box treasure? Here are a few more:
- Bakery-Style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Giant Family Cinnamon Roll
- Cherry Oat Bars
- The Softest Pumpkin Cookies
- Poppyseed Poundcake Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Baking Powder Biscuits
An ancestor from the family recipe box, these baking powder biscuits are soft, fluffy and easy to make – only 6 ingredients. They make just enough for a family meal and are equally delicious as a compliment to savory dish or simply with butter & jam. They are best fresh from the oven.
Servings: 6 biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 4 tbsp vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- 1) Prehead oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda with a spoon or a few simple hand tosses. 3) Add the crisco and use a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to cut into the flour mixture until evenly dispursed and no large chunks remain. 4) Add the buttermilk and mix with a spoon until the dough begins to come together. Then switch to mixing by hand. As the dough smooths out and very little flour remains in the bowl, pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.5) With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold the top third of the dough down to the center and fold the bottom third of the dough over it (a letter-fold). Roll the dough back into a rectangle and repeat the letter-fold on the opposite sides. After both letter folds, roll the dough out to about 1"-1.5" inch thickness. Cut the biscuits out using a circular object of your choice (a glass rim, soup can, biscuit cutter, etc…) and place them on the baking sheet. 6) Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden on top. Serve immediately.
Rachel
Can you use very cold butter instead of Crisco?
Bekah
Yes, you can! The only difference is that they may not rise as high or be quite as fluffy. It shouldn’t be a huge difference though.