I am on the hunt for the best, buttery, flaky, warm, wonderful biscuit recipe. I’ve tried my hand at traditional and sourdough, and I reached out to the internet for tips when my last batch didn’t rise while baking.
I am still working on perfecting my biscuits, and when I finally figure it out I will be sure to post the tried-and-true recipe. Until then, I learned a lot from those that were willing to share from years of experience and my baking of these wonderful breakfast biscuits has improved. I thought I would share all of their advice in one place because it has definitely helped me in the kitchen.
Also, if you have any additional tips to share, or the recipe you believe is the very best, please share in the comments below. I would love to give it a try.
Tips For The Biscuits
These comments come from a lot of southern women, so you know they’re worth listening to! I have also added a few things I’ve learned from some failed baking attempts.
- Sourdough discard makes the biscuits tangy. I love sourdough recipes but I’ve decided I don’t prefer sourdough biscuits.
- If the recipe calls for unsalted butter, use unsalted butter. Or cut the salt down in the recipe. I never paid much attention to this in other baking recipes, but you can taste the salt in the biscuits.
- Bake biscuits in the top 1/3 of the oven.
- Never bake a biscuit below 450 degrees. Adjust baking time if necessary.
- Place your butter in the freezer before use. Use the wrapper to hold the butter so your hands don’t warm it and use a cheese grater to grate the butter into your dough. Works like a charm.
- Don’t roll your biscuit dough. You want to fold it over onto itself. That’s what creates those flaky layers.
- Use parchment paper. Dump your dough recipe on top and use the paper to fold the dough over onto itself. This way your hands don’t warm the dough and melt the butter. Makes the dough very easy to handle.
- Don’t fold your dough too thin. You want to keep it tall and thick.
- Don’t press too hard. You don’t want to compress the dough. You want to handle the dough as little as possible.
- Make sure your leavening agent, such as baking powder, is fresh.
- Use a biscuit cutter. I don’t have one, so I use a sharp knife. You don’t want to use a cup because it has a dull edge which seals the dough.
- You definitely do not want to twist the cup or the biscuit cutter because that also seals the edges, preventing the dough from rising.
- I think you need a recipe that calls for some type of milk like heavy cream or buttermilk. The other recipes I have tried the biscuits turn out too dry.
- Baking the biscuits close together or touching helps them rise up nice and tall.
- I haven’t yet tried self-rising flour but when searching over recipes this seems to be the key ingredient for success!
- Baking in cast iron really makes a difference.
Okay so I did title this post ‘Biscuits and Gravy’ and while I don’t have the perfect biscuit recipe down pat yet, I am very confident in my gravy skills. My father was a phenomenal cook and he taught me how to make gravy at a young age.
Tips For The Gravy
You never, ever add the milk first. Whether you’re making sausage gravy for breakfast or gravy for the turkey on thanksgiving, always add your flour to your pan with the bits of food and grease or drippings in it. Use the same pan you cooked the sausage in to make the gravy. Remove the sausage first for easy whisking. Use a whisk to break up and scrape up what’s in the pan. I like to add in black pepper and red chili flakes to my breakfast gravy.
Also, use whole milk. It’s gravy, we want all the fat.
Once the flour and drippings have been incorporated, add in your whole milk slowly and over medium heat. Add in a bit at a time while constantly whisking and bringing your roux up to a slight simmer. Reduce heat to low once the gravy bubbles and keep whisking, add milk until achieved thickness is desired. As it cools it will continue to thicken. This is when I add back in my sausage I cooked.
Slather those buttery biscuits with chunky sausage gravy, and my favorite is to top to with sunny side up eggs and some hot sauce! It is seriously the best!
Happy baking.
