Biscuits - Not Like Mama Fixed It!

I love biscuits!

Besides cornbread, biscuits are “the” bread of the south. I think every southern baker has their own method of making biscuits. I've yet to find a wrong way.

I was well into my thirties before I made my first home made “from scratch” biscuits. There are just too many “ready made” varieties out there for biscuit baking to be a priority for me. I was always a little intimidated by the idea of baking homemade biscuits, so I knew I had to give it a try.

But how? What method would be MY method. Now my Mama made biscuits using what I call the “pinch and roll” method. She would make up her biscuit dough and instead of rolling it out and cutting out biscuits, she would pinch off the perfect biscuit size portion and roll it into a ball. She would line them up in neat rows on her baking sheets and gently press down on the top of them.

Sometimes, if time was an issue she would make biscuits using what I call the “drop” method. This was when she would mix up her biscuit dough and drop it onto the baking sheet from the spoon. The method that she use depended on how much time she had. We hardly ever had the “ready made” biscuits growing up.

So, when I decided that I was indeed going to make some “from scratch” biscuits, I felt a little overwhelmed and lost. My Mama didn't have a written down recipe, she just knew what to do.

I did not. So I found a recipe somewhere on the internet and I made biscuits. I don't remember specific ingredients or measurements, but I remember the method I used. I kneaded and rolled out my dough and cut out my biscuits with a biscuit cutter.

My first attempt at biscuit making was a success. My second attempt was mediocre at best. I have tried several different recipes with varying degrees of success and failure.

The bottom line is I am never going to be known as a great biscuit baker. But that's okay. I'm not overwhelmed by the process anymore.

What method of biscuit making do you prefer? Let's have a cup of coffee and talk about it. The kitchen door is always open and there's always room for one more at the table.