Best Ever Biscuits

Biscuits baked golden biscuits are just the thing for cold winter days. This recipe for quick biscuits made from scratch is an old family favorite. These biscuits cook up light and fluffy.

Best Ever Biscuits

2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

4 tbsp. shortening (room temperature)

I cup milk

Method:

Combine first 3 ingredients. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter. Add milk. Stir lightly with wooden spoon, until a loose ball forms. Place on a floured surface and knead lightly. Flatten dough into rectangle, then fold over. The fold makes higher biscuits.

Adjust amounts of shortening, baking powder, and milk to personal preference. A little more shortening or milk makes for a moister biscuit. A pinch more baking powder makes for a higher biscuit.

Cut out rounds and form circle with hand. Turn and lightly squeeze each biscuit inward until 1-1&1/2 inches high. Squeezing the centers forces the biscuits to shape higher and they are lighter as they cook. As they rise, they reach impressive heights and you'll be asked what the secret is to making biscuits that rise so high.

• Place biscuits on ungreased baking pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove one biscuit and cut in half to check middle to see if it is cooked.

• Reduce heat, as necessary, so that you produce golden biscuits that are fully cooked in the middle.
• Double-pan so bottoms don't over-brown.

Biscuits can be made in all shapes and sizes--and there are tricks to make the process easy.

ROUND Biscuits--if you are pressed for time but still want round biscuits.

• Shape biscuit dough into a log and cut into rounds. This is an easy and fast method for making round biscuits.
• This allows you to determine thickness when cutting out biscuits, so if you like high biscuits, simply slice wider/thicker pieces. 2" is a good rule of thumb.

Quick SQUARE Biscuits

• Roll out biscuit dough into a rectangle and then cut into squares to make square biscuits.

Quick DIAMOND Biscuits

• Roll out biscuit dough and cut on the diagonal in a criss-cross pattern for diamond-shaped biscuits.

For high biscuits, you should use deep biscuit cutters. This way your biscuit dough won't stick to the top of the cutter. Higher biscuits are more appealing and don't tend to dry out as much.

Dip biscuit cutter in flour.

• Butter biscuits: Substitute butter for the shortening.

• Cheddar biscuits: Add shredded cheddar cheese.

• Cheese and bacon biscuits: Add precooked and crumbled bacon along with cheddar cheese.
• Whole Wheat biscuits: Replace one cup of white flour for 1 cup of whole wheat.

• Breakfast biscuits: add raisins or currants

• Cinnamon biscuits: Roll out dough into a rectangle and butter top. Sprinkle on brown sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of cloves. Roll dough into a long log, then cut rounds. When cool, ice with butter icing, if desired.

• Sweet biscuits: increase sugar to taste

• Pinwheel biscuits: chicken, ham, or turkey swirls: 1-2 cans of chicken, turkey, or ham. Place meat into bowl and mince with fork. Add minced green onion, poultry seasoning, and pepper to chicken or turkey. Roll out biscuit dough into rectangle and spread with either canned chicken, ham or turkey. Roll up and then cut as you would for cinnamon rolls. These are great when you want something a little different--a good accompanyment to a meal if company's coming. If you take these to potlucks, they are sure to garner comments and compliments.

• Casserole topping: Top casseroles with biscuit crust and dot with butter. This really adds down home goodness to casseroles. Cook casserole as you normally would and place biscuit crust on top about 15-20 minutes before you want to take casserole out of the oven.

• Dumplings: Use biscuit recipe but subsitute butter or margarine for the shortening. This subsitution is important to achieve tender dumplings every time. Add to gently simmering soups or stews, dropping by tsps. You may choose to make a moister dough for dumplings.

• Breakfast peach pie: Layer sliced peaches and syrup in a smaller casserole dish. Top with biscuit crust and bake in oven until crust is cooked.

• You can make attractively shaped biscuits by using biscuit cutters with charming shapes. Select a variety of cutters and experiment to get the effect you desire.

• Slather biscuits with real butter while still warm and top with strawberry jam.
• Eat biscuits with butter and maple syrup.
• Butter biscuits and drizzle corn syrup over