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Old 05-07-2016, 11:53 PM
 
Location: Moku Nui, Hawaii
11,048 posts, read 23,877,314 times
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Generally, I'll just mix the dough enough that it sticks together and then put the whole thing into a pan. Pat it roughly to the right thickness and then cut it into squares or whatever shapes work with the pan. If I'm using a round cast iron pan, frequently a biscuit cutter makes a round shape in the middle and then spokes are cut into the dough starting from the edges of the circle outward. Makes a nice happy sunflower.

It's much easier than the traditional roll it out type of biscuits.
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Old 05-08-2016, 12:05 AM
 
3,279 posts, read 5,288,852 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cb at sea View Post
Hardee's biscuits are the best, IMO! But, there are many kinds of biscuits! The frozen "Grands" are fantastic! And, foolproof!
I'd consider the frozen Grands except, in the searching I just did anyway, I can't find any that have blueberries in them. Meanwhile, I'm checking out other recipes for what I was initially doing.
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Old 05-08-2016, 06:50 AM
 
2,441 posts, read 2,590,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shyguylh View Post
I have been trying my hand at making biscuits. It's hard. Heck I'm even using Bisquick and it's STILL hard for me.

The main problems: I put exactly how much water/milk etc it calls for, but it's still too "powdery" every time. Kneeding it is hard because its texture is inconsistent and it sticks to everything. Even when you try and use a rolling pin it sticks to the rolling pin. You try and "punch" out a few biscuits with the holder but then it sticks to the preparation area (I use a cutting board with a little bit of flower sprinkled onto it). When they cook, I can never get them "fluffy" the way the restaurants are, they're too "crunchy," especially on the bottom (which sometimes becomes burned even if the top is good).

What am I doing wrong? I'm not a hard core chef, am I perhaps doomed to simply reheating frozen biscuits from Walmart or such? (I'm trying to make blueberry biscuits with frosting, and basically it's the same as "normal" biscuits but you add blueberries to the biscuit mix and then you put the frosting on the finished biscuits, those parts I've got down pat, but I can't make the biscuits worth a darn.)
You obviously need more liquid than they say, so just add more. I have this problem too, I think our air is a bit drier.

This comes from scones, but American biscuits are similar, so DON'T KNEAD! You do the barest possible amount of mixing to get it to stick together, then tip the whole lot out, form it into a rectangle with damp hands (to keep it from sticking), then cut the rectangle into twelve.

For overcooked base, use a silpat. This also works great to be the surface you turn the dough onto, then you just shift them around slightly for cooking.

My foolproof recipe for non-American scones, which are basically biscuits:

50g (half stick) butter, room temp
Three cups flour
Six teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminium kind), same as three American tablespoons
pinch salt
1 1/4 cups of milk

Mix the salt, flour and baking powder. Cut the butter into cubes, then rub into the flour mix with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. You want to see no visible bits of butter. Using your fingertips helps it not become a melted mess. Add the milk all at once, mix until barely combined, then empty bowl onto silpat. Press into a rectangle, then cut into 12 pieces, separate them on the silpat, patting down any bits that stick out to neaten up the scones. Cook at 410 F for ten minutes.

Serve with jam and whipped cream (not from a can)

Alternate: add 1-2 cups of grated cheese to the butter flour mix before adding the milk. Serve with butter.
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Old 05-08-2016, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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Handle the dough as little as possible.

Make sure your butter, lard, bacon fat etc., is cold.

Sounds like you are over working your dough.
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Old 05-08-2016, 11:00 AM
 
9,694 posts, read 7,334,283 times
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in the south, a lot of people make "drop " biscuits, no rolling pin is needed. quick easy. uou cant screw up. what i mean by south is, typical hunting camp biscuits
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Old 05-08-2016, 11:19 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,502 posts, read 47,478,646 times
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Use cold better and don't cut it in too fine. The little chunks of butter are what make the biscuit flaky.

I don't knead mine more than 2-3 turns as I get them patted out. Mine don't stick together well when they are raw, so I handled them carefully to keep the dough together. I get a gorgeous flaky baked biscuit.
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Old 05-08-2016, 11:25 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,502 posts, read 47,478,646 times
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If the bottom burns before the biscuits are done, that's a fault with your oven. You probably have the heat too high or the pan set too low. You want right in the middle of the oven. If you are using the heat setting given in the recipe, you need to buy an oven thermometer and see what your oven temperature is doing

You say the dough won't stick together, yet it is sticking to your equipment. I'll give you credit for extra talent.

I roll out on a silicon baking sheet and use a silicon rolling pin (I don't roll biscuits). Even with silicon, you must flour all the equipment.

I am careful not to press the dough together any more than is barely necessary to get it to hold together. If you pack the dough together tightly, you'll get hockey pucks not light airy biscuits.
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Old 05-08-2016, 12:43 PM
 
24,510 posts, read 17,995,915 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom View Post
If all you've tried is Bisquick, you should try making them from scratch. Make sure your baking powder is not too old, use a recipe with shortening, use whole milk, and use a pastry blender (not expensive, it's got a handle attached to 5 or 6 u-shaped metal pieces) to blend the shortening into the flour mixture.

Don't be afraid to knead the dough a bit but don't knead it more than 5 or 6 times. Biscuit dough should be very soft and sticky...flour your work surface and your hands and you'll still end up with dough stuck to your hands. It's not like bread dough, where the right consistency is smooth, soft and not too sticky to touch...if your biscuit dough is like that, you'll end up with hockey pucks instead of biscuits from overworking the dough.

If the bottoms are coming out too dark, first thing to look for is the oven rack position. Second, buy an insulated baking sheet.

Perfect your biscuit making technique and recipe before adding blueberries. Fruit can be tricky in some recipes.
Even this is overkill. I can make perfectly good drop biscuits from water & powdered skim milk, shortening cut into the flour/salt/sugar/baking powder mix, on an old school steel cookie sheet.

I just Google the Gold Medal flour recipe and substitute powdered skim milk if I don't have milk or buttermilk. I don't even bother rolling out the dough and cutting it. I just drop it on the cookie sheet with a spoon. It's one of the "my cupboards are bare" recipes. I prefer them made with butter but they're fine with shortening.
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Old 05-08-2016, 02:11 PM
 
2,441 posts, read 2,590,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke View Post
Use cold better and don't cut it in too fine. The little chunks of butter are what make the biscuit flaky.

I don't knead mine more than 2-3 turns as I get them patted out. Mine don't stick together well when they are raw, so I handled them carefully to keep the dough together. I get a gorgeous flaky baked biscuit.
This is common advice, but only works for those recipes which have tons and tons of butter and use cream as well. If you're using a recipe with less fat and milk, rub it in totally, it will rise better and have a nicer texture.
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Old 05-08-2016, 02:50 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,575,011 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaphawoman View Post
Over kneading is probably the biggest mistake made by beginning bakers. You want a light touch with kneading because too much will toughen the dough. And be generous with flouring your surface. Your counter top should look like a winter wonderland. Get plenty on your hands, rolling pin, and biscuit cutter. For recipes containing milk, fat content makes a difference so if it calls for whole milk or just says milk, do not use low-fat, skim, or milk substitutes like almond or soy. Your butter should be COLD when you cut it into the flour. Wet and dry ingredients should be mixed together just until combined, not longer. If your bottoms are burnt, maybe you are placing the rack too low. Place it in the center of the oven; if that doesn't work try the top rack. Ovens can vary, particularly if you have an older one. When a recipe says to preheat the oven, give it 20 minutes to get up to temperature. It could be that your oven just runs hotter than normal. If a recipe bakes at 450, try 425 and see how that turns out.
You don't use lard? How do you make pie crust?
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