Photo by James Ransom
Genius Recipes's Notes:
ExpandButter for greasing, or nonstick cooking spray Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups (9 oz/255 g) spooned and leveled self-rising flour (preferably low-protein Southern U.S. flour like White Lily) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup sugar (or less, if you prefer your biscuits less sweet) Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup shortening Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cup heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup buttermilk, or enough for dough to resemble cottage cheese (if you are not using low-protein flour, it will take more than 1 cup) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 cup plain all-purpose flour, for shaping Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and arrange a shelf slightly below the center of the oven. Butter an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Ask a question about this stepIn a large mixing bowl, stir together the self-rising flour, sugar, and salt. Work the shortening in with your fingers until there are no large lumps. Gently stir in the cream, then some of the buttermilk until dough resembles wet cottage cheese. It should be a wet mess -- not soup, but cottage-cheese texture. If you are not using a low-protein flour, this may take considerably more than 1 cup of buttermilk.
Ask a question about this stepSpread the plain all-purpose flour (not self-rising) out on a plate or pie pan. With a medium (about 2 inches, #30) ice cream scoop or spoon, place three or four scoops of dough well apart in the flour. Sprinkle flour over each. Flour your hands. Turn a dough ball in the flour to coat, pick it up, and gently shape it into a round, shaking off the excess flour as you work. Place this biscuit in the prepared pan. Coat each dough ball in the same way and place each shaped biscuit scrunched up against its neighbor so that the biscuits rise up and don't spread out. Continue scooping and shaping until all dough is used.
Ask a question about this stepPlace the pan on the arranged shelf in the oven. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with the melted butter. Invert onto one plate, then back onto another. With a knife or spatula, cut quickly between biscuits to make them easy to remove. Serve immediately. "Butter 'em while they're hot."
Ask a question about this stepNote: Do not use self-rising flour for shaping, as the leavener will give a bitter taste to the outside of the biscuits.
Ask a question about this stepWe made this for Easter dinner and they were a hit! Definitely sweeter than I had anticipated but everyone thought they were lovely. Easy to make and will be a new staple.
i have been looking for a pat biscuit recipe like my grandpa's for ages, he passed suddenly and we never thought to ask for his recipes. every southern biscuit recipe out there says to cut with a biscuit cutter and that's just not how ours were done. this is what we ate, well except for the sugar, will be omitting that step, or else pa will be turning in his grave!! thanks for the recipe i thought was lost forever!!
I have made these for years, and they are awesome. To make it even easier, just use a portioner (large ice cream scoop) to put the soft dough into greased muffin/cupcake tins. No need to coat with the flour and they rise beautifully.
I whipped these tasty little biscuits up in no time! I used ordinary self-rising flour and didn't know when I'd reached the "cottage cheese" stage, but after a quick roll in the loose flour, the biscuit balls held well. They are absolutely delicious. I would omit the sugar if I were using the biscuits in a savory way, but found them the perfect sweetness for jam and/or honey. I will be adding these to the rotation of carry-along food for BBQ's and brunches. YUM!
These are great. I've made them from her book Cookwise. If you don't have self rising flour, just add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup of flour.
Made these for Christmas morning breakfast, and they are fantastic. Light, fluffy, with just a hint of sweetness. Will make gravy the next time!
Wow, these are wonderful! And adding a bit of grace is just so perfectly Southern. Simply love this, so I'll be using it within the next week, for sure! ;o)
Selmelier works at Meadow, a shop that specializes in salt.
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First up, butter your cake pan.
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And -- get this -- butter your ice cream scoop too!
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Measure or weigh your flour -- whatever floats your boat. This recipe is very forgiving, relying on a handy visual cue later.
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Next, pinch some shortening (or butter or lard or duck fat...) into your flour, salt & sugar. Just smoosh it around enough that there aren't any big pieces.
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Pour in your cream first.
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Then stir -- it'll get all clumpy.
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Pour in your buttermilk, stirring as you go and adding more as needed, until it looks like...
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... wet cottage cheese. "It should be a wet mess," says Corriher. Moist dough = steam = fluffy biscuits.
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This is why you buttered your scoop -- so the dough doesn't stick too much.
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The dough goes into a flour bath. (If you don't have an ice cream scoop with one of those release buttons, you can use one finger to help it along, keeping the others dry.)
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Blanket it in flour. Your biscuit depends on it!
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Then toss it around, letting the excess flour fall through your fingers.
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Now you have a nice lump of dough, held together by a thin skin of flour.
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Tuck it into the pan -- it won't be lonely for long.
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Corriher says to get them all scrunched in together, so they bake upward, instead of spreading out.
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Like so!
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Almost a shame to break them apart. They look so happy together.
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Alas.
We made this for Easter dinner and they were a hit! Definitely sweeter than I had anticipated but everyone thought they were lovely. Easy to make and will be a new staple.