Old Fashion Biscuits
These biscuits are my family’s favorite, and I make them with my daughter’s favorite beef stew, and it’s the one thing she asks for time and time again.
The biscuits are quick and easy to make, and I often change the recipe to create a shortcake biscuit when adding just a bit of sugar. I’ve added the recipe below if you want a delicious shortcake.
The original biscuit was a flat cake that was put back in the oven after being removed from ITS tin, hence the French name “bis” (twice) AND “cuit” (cooked). This very hard, dry biscuit was A staple for sailors and soldiers for centuries. During the time of Louis XIV, soldiers' biscuits were known as “stone bread.”
How to make old fashion biscuits
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. If you have a convection oven, I would reduce it to 400 degrees.
Combine in a bowl:
1 ¾ cups of sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt - (if you are using salted butter, there is no need to add salt)
3 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
To this add
6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small chunks
Cut the chilled butter into the dry ingredients above using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. I personally use my hands to combine.
Once incorporated in the bowl, form a small well in the center.
Add the following into the well:
¾ cups of milk (whole milk is best, but I often use reduced-fat milk, which comes out fine. It depends on how rich you like them.)
Mix the dough until it is free from the sides of the bowl…then:
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface board or marble.
Knead the dough gently but quickly, about 8 times.
Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin to the desired thickness. (these biscuits will rise very nicely, so I would suggest rolling them to about ¼ inch thick, and I often roll them thicker if I want to have a very big hearty biscuit. It’s up to you).
Form the dough using a lightly floured biscuit cutter.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Brush with melted butter.
Bake until lightly browned – about 15 minutes. I would keep an eye on them in the oven. The cooking time will depend on your type of oven. Look for a nice golden brown on top.
Additional ingredients for making different types of biscuits
Shortcake biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar - I live to use Turbinado Cane Sugar (Sugar in the Raw). It adds a little molasses taste to the shortcake
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 cup cold butter (salted) Cut the butter into cubes.
1 cup cold whipping cream
MIx together as instructed in my biscuit recipe above.
I gently brush each of the biscuits with melted butter and bake them.
Once they are about halfway through the baking cycle…maybe 7 minutes, I will sprinkle more sugar on the biscuit. I then pop them back into the oven. The biscuit comes out looking golden brown. Oh, my goodness…talk about good! A delicious shortbread biscuit.
Savory biscuits
Three cooked slices of crumbled bacon (more if you want more bacon flavor) and ¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese; or
Two tablespoons of chives or sage and 1/3 cup of Roquefort French Cheese
You may also add:
Lemon Zest
Rosemary and Thyme (Add about three parts rosemary and one part thyme)
All Rosemary
Equal parts basil, chives, and parsley
Tarragon
Drop Biscuit
Follow the Rolled Biscuit recipe; except
1 cup of milk (instead of the ¾ cup as stated in the rolled biscuit recipe).
Stir the dough mixture until nicely incorporated.
Drop the biscuits with a tablespoon onto an ungreased pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Plate biscuits for presentation. As you can see, I like to bake my biscuits very brown. With the butter brushed on top, it gives the biscuits a very lovely color.
I HOPE that you love this recipe as much as my family does. It has been a staple for many years and will continue to do so for many more years to come.
As with everything I post on my blog, please feel free to comment or if you have any questions, please get in touch with me through my contact page. I welcome it anytime!
Happy baking, my friends!
Mary
“May your home be a place where friends meet, family gathers, and love grows. ”
