I’ve been making biscuits for over 50 years. Gosh, that makes me feel old! But this week I tried a new recipe that creates a flaky biscuit. And for those who came here just for the recipe, here’s the link: https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-homemade-biscuits/
For me, biscuits are all about heritage. My Mountain South roots revolve around faith, family, and food. Whether it’s growing a garden, baking scratch-made goodies, or gathering for a Thanksgiving feast, my heritage shines through it all.
Heritage isn’t just something passed on to help you remember the past; it’s something to steward. We have the privilege of building on what we’ve been given and passing on something greater to those who come after us. For me, biscuits are a small example of this sacred duty.
Recently I was gifted a precious family heirloom: my Grandma Crass’s wooden biscuit bowl. My Grandpa Crass, who was always proud he and Jesus were both carpenters, made it for her. My father remembers her making biscuits in it every day for the family. She used that bowl for decades. There’s no telling how many hot, buttermilk biscuits were birthed in that simple, wooden bowl.
When I was three years old, I baked my first biscuit, standing in a little chair by my mother’s side in our tiny trailer kitchen. Wearing a purple print apron she’d sewn for me, I’d be excited as Mom handed me a bit of biscuit dough. I’d roll it in my hands and proudly place it on the greased cast iron griddle before she popped it in the propane-fueled oven. Those “snake” biscuits began a culinary journey that continues today.
Of course, I did my best to pass on the biscuit baton to my own family, including Cinnamon Roll biscuits that would one day win the Hometown Dessert Challenge on TLC Network’s Next Great Baker Season 4. With my oldest daughter, Danielle, by my side, we won over the judges with good ole’ Southern baking.
All my kids are now adults, but the grandchildren have come along and they have little home-sewn aprons of their own. One of life’s greatest blessings is to see your children pass on the family heritage to the next generation.
While I keep many of my mother’s traditions alive, I’ve added plenty of my own. And my grown children are doing the same. So when my second oldest daughter, Hannah, shared this new biscuit recipe with me, I had to give it a try.
Which brings us back to the recipe link I shared at the start. The recipe itself is similar to what I’ve done for years, but it’s the technique that is slightly different. And you can use this technique with your own biscuit recipe and achieve a similar result.
The keys are: keep your fat (butter in this case) ice cold and in discernible pieces; don’t cut in your butter, but shred it and leave it be; when working the dough, gently pat it out to about an inch thick, then fold it half on itself and repeat about 5 times before cutting into biscuits. This is similar to “laminating” that you’d find in making Danish pastry or croissant dough. And that’s what creates those flaky layers you don’t get when making biscuits the more traditional way.
Like most biscuits, these are best served soon after they’re baked. By the next day, they’re not so tender and flaky. But they are divine when served warm with your favorite jam or a touch of honey.
The recipe calls for whole milk as the first choice, but buttermilk works, too. Just make sure to keep those butter bits intact, where you can see them in the dough. Thanks to my Hannah for sharing this recipe with me—and for making biscuits “her” way. All the Grandmas would be proud.
What heritage have you been given? And how are you stewarding it? It may have absolutely nothing to do with baking or food. But whatever it is, cherish it. Develop it. And pass it on.
Blessings,
Julie
