Hand-Rolled Biscuits - Master Cookbook Recipe # 106

Name: Hand-Rolled Biscuits - Master Cookbook Recipe # 106
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 7 large
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: Self-rising flour: Use a 5 lb. bag (you will use it as your mixing bowl); 1/4 tsp Baking soda; 1/4 cup Vegetable shortening (Crisco) or 5 Tbsp salted butter (room temperature); 1-1/2 cups Whole buttermilk; Optional: Melted butter for brushing the tops; 1 cup milk or low-fat buttermilk

These are authentic, old-fashioned biscuits made directly in the flour bowl. This method uses the flour itself to create a "nest," allowing you to mix exactly what you need without measuring the flour precisely every time.

This is recipe #106 in Tammy’s Master Cookbook.

Prep time: 10 minCook time: 20 minTotal time: 30 min

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Ingredients

Self-rising flour: Use a 5 lb. bag (you will use it as your mixing bowl)
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 cup Vegetable shortening (Crisco) or 5 Tbsp salted butter (room temperature)
The Liquid:
1-1/2 cups Whole buttermilk
Optional: Melted butter for brushing the tops

Option for Liquid

1 cup milk or low-fat buttermilk

Instructions

Prepare the Flour Nest: Place your self-rising flour in a very large bowl. Using the outside of your fist, press the flour firmly against the sides and bottom of the bowl to compact it, creating a deep well in the center. Sprinkle the baking soda into the well.
Add Fat & Liquid: Place your shortening (or butter) and the buttermilk into the center of the flour well.
The Hand-Mix: Using your hand, squeeze the shortening and milk together in the center. Gradually start rotating your hand in a circular motion, gently pulling a little flour from the "walls" of the well into the liquid.
Incorporate: Continue squeezing the dough through your fingers until you have a soft, cohesive dough that is no longer sticky. (As the recipe notes, this "feel" is best mastered by watching the technique in the video!).
Hand-Shape: Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a large egg. Roll it in the palm of your hand with a light dusting of flour to form a smooth ball, then gently pat it into a disc.
Bake: Arrange the biscuits close together in a greased iron skillet or bread pan. Bake at 500°F.
Cast Iron: 20 to 25 minutes (takes longer to brown).
Aluminum Sheet: 15 to 20 minutes.
Finish: Once golden brown, remove from the oven and immediately invert the biscuits to prevent the bottoms from getting soggy. Brush the tops with melted butter if desired.

Notes

Mama's Pro Tip: Placing the biscuits so they are touching in the pan helps them rise upward rather than outward, resulting in a taller, softer biscuit!