Southern Scratch Biscuits

Few foods conjure up my childhood memories quite like my momma's southern biscuits.  She, herself, was from Ohio and had never really eaten biscuits prior to marrying my dad.  She quickly learned that it was a southern staple he just couldn't live without!  (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

My dad was the youngest of ten born to a poor Oklahoma farming family during the last few years of The Great Depression.  Apparently, what his parents lacked in finances, they made up for in frugal living.  Beans, rice, greens, and biscuits were cheap, could feed a crowd, and were easy for a busy farmer's wife to whip up in no time.  

Having grown up on these southern favorites, my dad insisted on having them at least once a week.  Nearly every Sunday morning for over two decades, he gathered our family of six around the breakfast table to enjoy a hot plate of biscuits and gravy.  

Now, as the meal maker for my own little troop of kiddos, I, too enjoy serving up my own version of these wonderfully fattening biscuits.  While I would love to carry on the Sunday morning tradition of gravy-smothered biscuits, my children do not care for milk gravy and my waistline doesn't either.  So, I usually use the biscuits as a substitute for toast topped with homemade jam or as the breading for a hearty breakfast sandwich.  

Up until recently, I had always used my mommas recipe whose base was Bisquick and a whole lot of veggie oil, but then I found a more simpler version in the budget-friendly book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn.  With a little bit of tweaking to each, I've figured out what works for me and my...thighs {ahem!}. 

Biscuits can be kind of a putzy dish to make first thing in the morning.  So, like most of my breakfast meals, I double or triple the recipe, bake them up, and freeze them in meal-sized servings.  They thaw wonderfully and can be popped back in the oven for a few minutes to re-warm.

You will need:  

• 3 c. all-purpose flour (I typically substitute wheat flour in most of my baking recipes, but I just can't bring myself to do it in this one.)
• 1 1/2 T. sugar
• 1 1/2 T. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. really cold butter (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• additional butter, melted (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.  

Using a pastry cutter or a food processor, "cut in" the butter.  (For years, I did not have a pastry cutter, and so I used a box cheese grater to shred the butter into little wisps.  You have to make sure the butter is really cold in order to do this effectively.)

Gently mix the butter into the flour so that it still maintains a flaky consistency.  

Slowly add the milk.  

Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix and knead the dough until it pulls away from the side of the bowl.  

I only "knead" the dough about 5-10 times.  The key to a good biscuit it to NOT over-knead it!

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it is about 1 inch thick.  

Lightly flour the top edge of a glass (or fancy biscuit cutter) and cut out biscuits.  Once you have cut out one whole spread of biscuits, gather up the dough remnants and re-roll the dough.  Remember, try not to over-work the dough.  

Place biscuits on an un-greased baking sheet or a slightly greased baking dish.  

Now here's where "two roads diverged in a yellow road."  You CAN brush the top of each biscuit with melted butter.  This will give your biscuits that golden southern glow.  PLUS...let's face it, ANYTHING topped with butter is just, mouth-wateringly divine.  Nowadays, I choose to skip that step.  You can choose whichever "road" you prefer...it's between you and your thighs.  

Bake at 425˚F for 12-16 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

(Makes about 12 biscuits.)