What is the best flour for Southern biscuits?

If you start asking around, any Southern chef, Southern Living Test Kitchen pro, or biscuit-making family member will swear by White Lily flour . Generations of bakers have claimed it as the secret to the perfect, flaky biscuit.

Why are Southern biscuits different?

They're More Tender Back to that gluten—it's responsible for giving baked goods their chew, so the lower gluten content of flour made from soft red winter wheat means that biscuits made with it are more tender than those made with other flours that aren't.

Does sifting flour make biscuits better?

Yes. If you sift flour, it becomes aerated and less dense. “A cup of flour sifted before measuring will weigh 20 to 30 percent less than a cup of flour sifted after measuring — a difference that can make a huge impact on the texture of finished baked goods,” Cook's Illustrated says.

What makes biscuits rise and fluffy?

Fully incorporating the butter and flour guarantees tender, airy biscuits every time. Low-protein flours keep biscuits fluffy and light, never tough. Yogurt provides both hydration and structure, for biscuits that bake up straight and tall but moist.

What makes Southern biscuits so good?

Bakers prize soft wheat flour for the biscuits it turns out The role of soft wheat flour role in turning out tender biscuits is so prized by Southern bakers that some believe it's impossible for Northerners to make good biscuits.

What makes biscuits taste better?

A word of advice: Start with good ingredients . Biscuits, like many breads, only use a few ingredients so you'll really taste each one. Choosing good-quality butter, milk, and flour will pay off in the flavor of the end result.

What do British people call Southern biscuits?

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.) A British biscuit is not remotely similar to the fluffy and filling American biscuits made famous in Southern American cuisine. The closest British equivalent to those buttery miracles is a scone , which ain't too bad either.

What type of flour makes the best biscuits?

The Bottom Line I personally think that biscuits are at their best when you use a fine pastry-type flour like White Lily or Bob's Pastry flour . BUT, all-purpose flour is absolutely an option. I actually think that your technique when making biscuits is just as - if not, more - important than the flour you use.

Which flour is better for biscuits?

Cake flour will give you a lighter, fluffier biscuit, but the outer crust won't have as much bite to it. Conversely, all-purpose flour will provide more bite, but it'll be a drier, less airy biscuit. The solution: Use half cake flour and half all-purpose flour .

What are Southern biscuits made of?

Key Ingredients in Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits All-purpose flour : Use the all-purpose flour you have on hand (no need for special brands). Baking powder and baking soda: These are the leavening agents that make the biscuits light. Unsalted butter: Freeze the butter beforehand so that you can grate it easily.

What types of flour can be used to make biscuits?

Also known as all-purpose flour, cake flour, or soft flour , the lower protein content produces a desirable, light and crumbly texture in baked goods such as biscuits, pancakes, pastry and sauces. Self raising flour is plain flour with added raising agents. Use it to make sponges, scones, some biscuits and suet pastry.

Recipe: "The Best Ever" Southern Biscuits

It's a bold statement on my part to call a recipe the best. While I always attempt to uncover the "ultimate" version of a dish, it is virtually impossible to conclude whether something is or isn't, in fact, the greatest in the world. Personal taste, in addition to the countless other external factors that effect a recipe, can all swing the pendulum of perfection either way.

But when it comes to Southern biscuits, I'd like to think I have a pretty decent grasp of the qualities a good one should possess. I worked at a Cracker Barrel for goodness sake, home to the airiest, most angelic of them all. (And no, the following is not their recipe. This is soooo much better.) And just in case you were wondering, here are my personal requirements for an unparalleled biscuit:

1. A superior biscuit, to me, is featherlight and fluffy as a cloud. It should spring to the touch, crumble when cupped, and melt away the minute it hits your lips.

2. I want—wait, scratch that—I demand big flavor. A biscuit needs plenty of salt, and a biscuit isn't good if it must be slathered in condiments to be edible. Hot-from-the-oven, it should be a divine sensory experience all on its own.

3. Last but not least, a biscuit needs butter. Lots and lots of butter—I'm talkin' inside, on top, and everywhere in between. Trust me here, this is definitely not the time to be holding back on the calories.

Are y'all with me?! You see, biscuits are practically in my blood. One of my fondest food memories involves my six-year-old self, devouring a Tyler's all-butter biscuit in the backseat of my parents' yuppy station wagon. We were headed to church, and I vividly remember the look on my mother's face when she saw streams of butter dribbling down my chin, grease splattered across my pressed cotton jumper and formerly-white tights. Boy was she mad. (And lets just say it wasn't the first time, and definitely not the last!)

I've spent many years since trying to recreate the perfect Southern biscuit—the one that requires a fistful of napkins; I've even blogged about the search here (and here and here). I've found pretty good recipes, and less-than-decent ones, but none that ever pulled me from the power of Pillsbury. At least until I discovered Shirley Corriher, the apple of my biscuit-lovin' eye. More importantly, I discovered her "Touch of Grace" Biscuits. Deemed a "genius recipe" by the smart gals at Food52, it was unlike any biscuit recipe I had ever seen. Which is why after reading it, I headed straight to the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about.

Let's just say my prayers were answered—no other biscuit recipe will pass through these oven doors again. Seriously, they are that good. So good, that you just want to devour them all by yourself, straight from the oven, afraid if you take them any further there won't be any more left to eat. And with that, my friends, I leave you with the best. biscuit. ever.

Recipe: "The Best Ever" Southern Biscuits — Dixie Caviar (2024)

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