Home made Biscuits

[ChesterV]

I've been trying to stay away from good ole Crisco,supposedly butter or margarine is better for you ,supposedly and I haven't used good ole lard in many a year either I did make some of my own lard,way back when lol and it was awesome

when I say butter in recipes it is actually margarine that I'm using,unless it says unsalted ,if I can I adjust to less salt in the recipe ,other than that I will buy some unsalted butter,which means i should add that to the grocery list too

I've always heard that vegetable shortening is better for you than butter. Margarine can be just as bad as butter sometimes, cause of all the additives.

You can substitute different kinds of oils for butter nowadays....saffron, olive, sunflower, corn, etc.....


I don't eat a lot of things that take butter anymore, mainly because Im not supposed to eat the things I put butter ON......but when I do eat something with "butter" on it, or use it in cooking....this is what I like...

 

[Becky]

they didn't rise to well,but I think it is because there a bit thin , the next time they will be thicker and smaller

am i in scone range Becky or not ? lol

Good plan re thicker and smaller They look great!

 

[justme4910]

do I need to roll them out and fold them back in layers ? then cut them ,to try and get them fluffier ?

or pat them by hand thinner,then fold them over ?


yes Chester,I got that from that croissant video , I still haven't been to the grocery store yet so i haven't been able to start my home work yet lol

 

[Becky]

do I need to roll them out and fold them back in layers ? then cut them ,to try and get them fluffier ?

or pat them by hand thinner,then fold them over ?


yes Chester,I got that from that croissant video , I still haven't been to the grocery store yet so i haven't been able to start my home work yet lol

The less you manipulate the dough the better, so if I were you I'd just roll it out so that it is thicker and then cut them. I don't think you need to do any folding.

 

[ChesterV]

The less you manipulate the dough the better, so if I were you I'd just roll it out so that it is thicker and then cut them. I don't think you need to do any folding.

Becky is right. Over working dough is bad enough....but over working biscuit dough will result in "Ellie Mae Clampett" style biscuits!!! You need to mix it just until it's all incorporated together.

 

[Diane Lane]

Congratulations on your new biscuit cutter and progress with the biscuits. I tend to make drop biscuits myself, since they're easier and less counter space is needed. I've been craving biscuits and gravy, and after reading this thread, I think I'm going to have to make some for supper.

 

[justme4910]

i know what you mean Diane,I do love me some Biscuits,I'm trying to get mine up to being great still a long way to go lol

OK I'm going to mix them by hand the next time and be gentle mixing the milk in Becky and then turn the dough out onto a cutting board and press it down by hand and leave it a lot thicker and use a smaller cutter and we shall see how they come out ,will it be a scone then ?

Ha I have a good idea how old you are now Chester,"Ellie Mae Clampett" that gave you away lol

 

[justme4910]

rats I'm about to bake some more

 

[justme4910]

a stick of butter is in the freezer and the oven is set at 425 degrees Fahrenheit

 

[justme4910]

here are some pictures

I did make the mistake of not dusting my board before I got my fingers all sticky

rats I meant to get a picture of them on the baking pan,before i bake them

 

[justme4910]

i am out of milk,butter milk and cream

so I used some evaporated milk instead

it was mixed with some water first lol

think it will make a difference ?

here are some pictures of them done,they will have to cool a bit first,before I try one

well they do look different from the last batch we shall see how they taste,they are awful lumpy looking lol

 

[justme4910]

they taste really good,I did brush the tops with the milk and they are crunchy on the top and bottom,I think i over baked them by a minute or two

but they didn't rise any either ,but the innards are really good lol

I'm going to go and eat a couple more of them ,i did mean to freeze a couple of them and see if they will make good freezer biscuits or not

would it be better to use Lard or Shortening instead of butter ? the recipe I'm using calls for a 1/2 cup of butter or maybe mix it half and half ? lol I'm going for a cholesterol check in a couple of weeks too,so I need to cheat before then

 

[Becky]

Evaporated milk is very sweet, so that might have affected your recipe. They look tasty though!

would it be better to use Lard or Shortening instead of butter ? the recipe I'm using calls for a 1/2 cup of butter or maybe mix it half and half ?

Better in which way? For the end result or in terms of their healthiness?

 

[ChesterV]

they taste really good,I did brush the tops with the milk and they are crunchy on the top and bottom,I think i over baked them by a minute or two

but they didn't rise any either ,but the innards are really good lol

I'm going to go and eat a couple more of them ,i did mean to freeze a couple of them and see if they will make good freezer biscuits or not

would it be better to use Lard or Shortening instead of butter ? the recipe I'm using calls for a 1/2 cup of butter or maybe mix it half and half ? lol I'm going for a cholesterol check in a couple of weeks too,so I need to cheat before then

If you are going to freeze biscuits, then I would suggest either one large ziploc freezer bag, and suck the air out before you zip it closed.

Or

Use small sandwich ziploc baggies (you can use the dollar store kind) and place one biscuit in each baggie and be sure and suck the air out of each one before sealing it closed. Then put all the singles into a large ziploc baggie and seal that one, sucking out the air too.

Sucking out the air and using a ziploc baggie will help them stay fresher longer. The more air you can suck out, the less dried out they will get in the freezer.

When you want to warm one up....get a thick (clean), fuzz free cup towel, dampen it with water, wrap your bikkies in the towel and then put it in the microwave for about 1 minute. This should make your bikkies all nice and soft again.

Well....it works for me, anyway.


And yes JM, I am an oldie...LMAO. I just turned 53. Ugh.

 

[ChesterV]

they taste really good,I did brush the tops with the milk and they are crunchy on the top and bottom,I think i over baked them by a minute or two

but they didn't rise any either ,but the innards are really good lol

I'm going to go and eat a couple more of them ,i did mean to freeze a couple of them and see if they will make good freezer biscuits or not

would it be better to use Lard or Shortening instead of butter ? the recipe I'm using calls for a 1/2 cup of butter or maybe mix it half and half ? lol I'm going for a cholesterol check in a couple of weeks too,so I need to cheat before then

You can try using a butter substitute. Or, if you Dr. says using Crisco is ok, there is butter flavored Crisco.

Using anything with a high sugar content is going to make your bread bake faster, brown faster, and get a crunchy shell on it. Using less sugar and more fat/butter/lard/grease will keep them soft and bake the way they are supposed to bake.

 

[justme4910]

hmmm when I use evaporated milk they are crunchier,I am looking for a recipe that I can freeze them unbaked and just pop a couple in the toaster oven and have some good biscuits

of course i haven't frozen any of the better ones I've made either

 

[ChesterV]

hmmm when I use evaporated milk they are crunchier,I am looking for a recipe that I can freeze them unbaked and just pop a couple in the toaster oven and have some good biscuits

of course i haven't frozen any of the better ones I've made either

Oh, you want to freeze the dough!!!!
Ok

Well then, I would make them, cut them out, put them in the fridge to get cold.
Then, brush them with some melted butter, put them in the fridge to get the butter hardened on them.
Then do the plastic ziploc baggie thing.
The butter being frozen on top should help them from drying out too much in the freezer, as well as give it a nice brown color when it bakes.

 

[justme4910]

I will give that a try Chester,I won't to be able to have en ready and just put a couple in,instead of baking half a dozen or so and have to eat them in a hurry lol

 

[justme4910]

well look at these

 

[Diane Lane]

Oh those biscuits look yummy. Now I'm craving biscuits and gravy, which I haven't had in quite a while. I'm going to read back through the thread and see what I missed, as far as hints and tips, because it looks as if you've perfected your technique.