Sweet Things Remembered

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These biscuits are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, making them the perfect addition to any meal.

When I think about my grandparents’ house, the two places that are most meaningful and memorable to me are the backyard and the kitchen table. It is sitting around that table that we gathered for meals, celebrated birthdays, played cards and other games, and talked about life. I think about my grandma sitting in her spot by the window, studying her Sunday school lesson or doing the daily crossword in the newspaper. I think about my grandpa telling me to sit down and beginning to deal cards for a game of gin without even asking if I wanted to play. I think about helping prep green beans from the garden so they could be canned. Among many other memories, I also think about my grandpa making biscuits.

Both of my grandparents would cook, and they each had recipes they would make. One of my grandpa’s specialties was biscuits. I don’t really remember him making up the dough, but I do remember is him sitting at the end of the kitchen table, rolling the dough and using whatever was handy to cut out the biscuits. Most of the time, they were round, made from a biscuit cutter or mason jar lid, but I recall having some triangle biscuits every so often, too. I remember having them with sausage gravy, but also with butter and homemade grape jelly or strawberry jam (jam recipe to come 😉). I don’t have Grandpa’s exact recipe, and I’ve heard he liked to try different things with, so that may be why. This recipe one my uncle shared that has a similar taste and texture to the biscuits I remember having at my grandparents’ house growing up. I have a little more counter space than they did, so I don’t need to use the table to roll them out. Part of me wants to, though, like it would make them more authentic. Either way, these are delicious biscuits, and you should definitely give them a try!

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Sugar
• Cream of Tartar
• Salt
• Vegetable Shortening (Crisco)
• Milk

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Pastry Cutter – If you don’t have one, this one is a good option, or you can use a fork.
• Rolling Pin
• Biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or something round (you could even use a pizza cutter to make triangles if you want)
• Measuring Tools
• Mixing Bowl

How to Make Fluffy Biscuits

• Step 1: Preheat your oven to 450°
• Step 2: In a mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
• Step 3: Using a pastry cutter (or fork), cut in 1/2 cup vegetable shortening until there are coarse crumbs.
  • “Cutting” it means that rather than stirring, you are pressing the pastry cutter or fork into the vegetable shortening to break it up and evenly distribute it throughout the dry ingredients. It creates tiny clumps of shortening covered in the flour mixture.
• Step 4: Make a well in the middle of the crumbs and pour in the milk. Stir until the dough sticks together.
  • Switching to a spatula works better here, or I have seen some people just use their hands.
• Step 5: Once the dough comes together, place it on a clean surface and very gently knead it to form a disk.
• Step 6: Roll out the dough to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick and cut out biscuits.
  • I believe some recipes will say to use a 2-1/2 inch cutter, but I chose to use a 3 inch cutter for mine. You can use whatever size you would like. I was able to get 12 biscuits (the last one is just the remainder dough) with that size.
• Step 7: Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Mine were perfect after 10 minutes, but ovens vary.

Questions You May Have

Fluffy Biscuits

Recipe by rebekahdearmondDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

biscuits

Prep time

15

minutes

Baking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)

• 2/3 cup milk

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 450°
• In a mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
• Using a pastry cutter (or fork), cut in 1/2 cup vegetable shortening until there are coarse crumbs.
• Make a well in the middle of the crumbs and pour in the milk. Stir until the dough sticks together.
• Once the dough comes together, place it on a clean surface and very gently knead it to form a disk.
• Roll out the dough to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick and cut out biscuits.
  (I believe some recipes will say to use a 2-1/2 inch cutter, but I chose to use a 3 inch cutter for mine. You can use whatever size you would like.)
• Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.