Biscuit recipes: How to make fluffy biscuits

Making biscuits is an easily learned skill

I've made biscuits enough that I can get them done in about 20 minutes or so - in my kitchen, they aren't just for lazy Sunday mornings. More than a few times, my kids have eaten their biscuits in the car on the way to church.

Mastering a good basic biscuit recipe is great skill, though there seem to be as many variations on biscuits as there are Southern grandmothers. Regardless of where you get your basic recipe, once you have the basics down, you can make them in your own favorite style. You can sweeten them up with for breakfast and desserts by adding a little sugar and maybe some lemon zest - or you can add savory herbs or cheese to serve with meals.

Breakfast biscuits

I mostly associate biscuits with breakfast. I remember a road trip I took with my parents when I was about eight years old. It was the first time I tried biscuits with sausage gravy and I ate biscuits with sausage gravy every morning for two weeks. Mmmmm.

For breakfasts, you can:

• Keep it simple and serve biscuits with butter and jam or preserves. My kids love lime curd on their biscuits.
• Pile biscuits up with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese. This is good any time of the day, really, and my kids think biscuits in this way are a special dinner treat.
• Smother biscuits with sausage gravy. Not the healthiest, perhaps, but it is serious comfort food.

Biscuits for lunch

Midday, use biscuits much like other sandwich bread: add a slice or two of good ham and a swipe of mustard, or vary it up with some other type of sandwich meat. Try fresh basil, mozzarella and tomato on your biscuits. You could even press them into mini-paninis.

Dinner biscuits

Biscuits are a great side to hearty meals like roasts and stews, soups and chili - anything with liquid to mop up, really. If you are making biscuits specifically for dinner, adding herbs makes them extra special.

Biscuits for dessert

With a sweetened biscuit, you even have dessert. You can pull together a strawberry shortcake in very short order even in the dead of winter by thawing frozen strawberries and whipping some cream. They are even better with fresh fruits and a drizzle of sweet cream.

Double-Recipe of Basic Biscuits

Makes about 18 (2-1/2 inch) biscuits

This biscuit recipe comes together quickly. Though not as flaky as cutting the butter into the flour mixture by hand, the biscuits are still quite tender and fluffy.

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 10 pieces, plus extra for brushing
• 1-1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a food processor, whir together the flour, salt and baking powder. Sprinkle the chunks of butter over the top, then pulse the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Pour this into a bowl.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk. Bring the dough together using a fork. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Try to bring the mixture together quickly and without overworking it. Roll the dough until it is about 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or top of a glass to cut biscuit dough into rounds.
3. Place the rounds close together on an ungreased baking sheet. They should be close, but not touching. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. As soon as the biscuits are out of the oven, brush the tops with melted butter. Serve warm.

Sweetened Biscuits

Makes about 18 (2-1/2 inch) biscuits

These biscuits are great for mornings with jam or desserts.

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 10 pieces, plus extra for brushing
• 1-1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Use the same method as for the basic biscuit recipe above.

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