I don't remember the first time I ate a southern homemade biscuit. I mean growing up in the south it just seems as natural to eat biscuits as saying "y'all.” I grew up watching my grandmother make biscuits. She would get out a large bowl that contained self-rising flour. It looked like it held about six to eight pounds of flour at least. She would take her right fist and begin by making a hole in the center of the flour, gently pressing the sides of the hole to make sure the flour stayed and a well was formed. Next she would pour milk in the hole she just made. It may be buttermilk or regular milk, just whatever she had on hand at that time. After that she would reach her hand over into the Crisco can and scoop out a handful of shortening and put her hand and shortening into the milk in the flour bowl. I'd watch as she squished the shortening between her fingers in that milk breaking it up into pieces. Slowly she would begin to swirl her hand around the edge of the flour hole and pull a little flour into the mix. She made it look so easy and effortless and in just a few minutes she had a ball of dough where that milk and shortening was and she would then pinch off a palm size ball of it and lightly roll it into a smooth ball and place it in her pan. Once all the dough had been placed in the pan and the pan went into the oven, she sifted her flour and put it away until the next day when she would do it all over again. What came out of that oven were the best biscuits I have ever eaten. Yes, I do realize I am a bit biased, but that's okay I would expect no less from you and your favorite cook.
Now, here's a fun fact about me: I am a traditionalist. I have always been. I have prided myself on learning how my grandmother made her chicken and dumplings and her cornbread dressing. I took every necessary step to make sure that mine tasted every bit as good as hers did; and I succeeded. But, her biscuits.... well that's a different story. Every single time I have ever attempted to make biscuits in a flour bowl like she did I ended up with a great big mess or a ball of dough that baked up like rocks not the light as feather delicacies my grandmother was famous for. I was stumped. I felt like a failure. I am a southern born and raised woman that cannot make biscuits. I was a bit ashamed of that. How embarrassing. I carried around the frustration for years that I just couldn't grasp biscuit making. Every once in a while someone would ask me if there was anything I couldn't do and I would always reply; "I can't sing, dance or make biscuits." That's how much it bothered me.
One day I came upon a recipe for Trish Yearwood's drop biscuits. After reading the recipe that seemed simple enough I thought I would give it a try. It was supposed to be as easy as dropping spoonfuls of batter into a muffin tin. I still don't know what exactly I did different that her recipe called for but there was no dropping spoonfuls of this stuff that I had made. I decided to do what I had seen my grandmother do and 'pinch off' balls of dough and put them into a cast iron skillet instead of the muffin tins. What came out of the oven that day was melt in your mouth delicious and I knew I was on to something! I kept recreating that recipe until I got a formula that worked for me and know when someone ask if there is anything I can't do I simply reply; "I can't sing or dance." And I am okay with that.
JT's Make Believe Southern Biscuits
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup of sour cream (give or take)
1/2 to 3/4 milk (your choice between regular or buttermilk)
2 cups flour + a little more for your hands
*Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
1. In a medium to large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sour cream.
2. Add the milk and blend again.
3. Add the 2 cups of flour and mix with the mixer just enough to make the dough come together! This will not take long and it will look kinda shaggy. If it looks too dry, add a little bit more milk. Too wet, a little more flour.
4. I take a spatula and scrap down the sides of the bowl at this point and gently pull it all together.
5. Gently flour your hands and pinch off a palm size ball of dough and gently shape it into a ball. Don't go for perfectly shaped or smooth, you just want it to hold together. Place it in your lightly buttered skillet or pan. Repeat this process until all your dough is done. Lightly press your biscuit balls down, flattening them until they all touch each other in the pan. Bake until golden brown.
Ta-da! There you have it, my way of making biscuits! :)
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