Monday, June 10, 2013

FARMHOUSE BISCUIT RECIPE POSTED AT LAST

Well, it's been a long time coming.  Many of you have asked about the recipe when I mention them in previous posts (see Sausage Gravy and Biscuits HERE).  But me getting this post together with pictures involves getting into the kitchen before 2nd Man starts making them in the morning and I'm usually too late, possibly probably because I'm sleeping in!

I'll post the whole recipe at the bottom of the post but along the way with each step, I'll post what is being used and what is going on.



First, preheat your oven to 500 degrees (this is just to get it hot, it will be turned down when you put them in).  Pour 2 TBSP vinegar into a measuring cup and then add enough Half and Half to make 2 Cups and whisk to combine.


Next, measure out 1 lb, 5 1/4 ounces of all purpose flour (about 5 cups).  Mix this into a bowl along with 2 Tbsp baking powder, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp baking soda.


Cut 1 1/2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter into pieces and add to the flour mixture.



Cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (or forks, spoon, knives, whatever you normally use).


Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture into it.


Gently fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until barely combined.  Sprinkle some extra flour on your counter or work surface.


Tip out dough onto floured surface and using floured hands, gently bring dough together into a ball.


Roll out to about 1/4" thickness.


Using a bench scraper, fold short ends over, 1/3 toward the middle and another 1/3 onto the top of that.


Next, take the left and right sides and fold them to the middle.  It should look like this when you are done.  Roll this out to 1/4" thickness and then repeat these two folding steps one more time. This is the part that can seem intimidating to some, but it's also the part that gives you those wonderful layers in your biscuits.


Now on the last folding step, you will roll out to about 1/2" thickness.


Using a biscuit cutter (we use a 3" diameter), cut out your biscuits.  Gather up loose bits and roll back into 1/2" thick layer and repeat until you've used up all your dough.


This is what each one looks like as you cut them out.  Place them on an un-greased baking sheet.


Gently press tops to make sure they are touching (this helps them "climb" and rise higher).  Put them in the oven and turn it down to 400 degrees.  Set the timer for 20 mins (more or less depending on your oven of course).


Voila!  

You should have fluffy biscuits!

We didn't do it on this batch, but after they are baked, you can brush the tops with a little melted butter right after you take them out of the oven.

Farmhouse Biscuits:

1 lb 5 1/4 ounces all purpose flour (about 5 cups)
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp plain white vinegar
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter

See steps above for the process.
Good luck and good eating!

58 comments:

  1. S'funny - I made scones in my Nordica this weekend too :) Howling success!

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    1. Ahh, Rosie the Nordica...bestill my heart. I bet the scones were lovely!!

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  2. I make biscuits often, always using self-rising flour -- until this morning when I was out of self-rising and had to use all-purpose flour. I added baking powder and salt (didn't use any soda) and expected the same pretty biscuits I always have. Something went wrong. They were actually light enough despite the fact that they did not rise well.
    Thanks for your excellent step-by-step instructions. They've made me wonder if I didn't handle the too quickly this morning. Another fold or two, or knead or two, might have helped.

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    1. I asked 2nd Man about why he used it and he said he just liked the way they cooked by creating his own 'self rising flour', ha. I'm with you, I've used SR flour many times. He said the folds really make a difference with the flaky layers.

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  3. Those are beautiful biscuits. I have never heard of the folding part. Maybe some day I can make edible biscuits and pretty ones at the same time. Mine are neither.

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    1. Well thank you (on his behalf, lol). I watched him while I was taking the pictures and I really think it didn't look that hard. I think I could do it and I'm not the best baker in the world either. I bet yours will come out.

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  4. Scones! Now you must eat them with strawberry jam and clotted cream :) But it's not my fault when you're addicted to them and 100lb heavier ;)
    They look amazing!

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    1. I did eat them with some mixed berry jam, it was yummy. I hate to say, i've never had clotted cream. Not even sure what it is until I googled it, ha. I looked and yes, I could DEFINITELY get into that! ;-)

      Thank you again!

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  5. Yum. Some nice mesquite honey drizzled over them. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Mesquite honey? I've never had that either! Now our property is covered in mesquite and I DO want to have beehives next year. Hmmm....perhaps I can have our own mesquite honey? Thank you for the suggestion!

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  6. oh i would just slather those babies in butter and eat them until they were all gone!!! those are beautiful looking biscuits! i can't wait to try 2nd Man's recipe! a big thanks to you for taking all of the pics!

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Um, we did. Ha. Jam, butter, the works. It was great. Thank you for the kind words. I hope they work for you!

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  7. They look as good as Cracker Barrel restaurant biscuits, and that's quite a compliment !
    What kind of vinegar ?
    Yes, I can see them filled with butter and strawberry jam {drool}.
    ~Jo

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    1. Wow, I will pass that along to him. Yes, we've had Cracker Barrel biscuits, and that's a compliment! Thanks for asking about vinegar, I edited it based on your question, totally forgot to put that in there. Just plain white vinegar. :-)

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  8. great looking biscuits! i am making biscuits in the next couple days. i have ripe peaches and need to make jam so of course i need to make biscuits!

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    1. Mmmm, ripe peaches! Color me jealous! I just planted a peach tree the past weekend. Hoping for ripe peaches this time next year! Might have to hit you up for that reciepe, ha.

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  9. Oh my gosh, they look GREAT! Thanks!

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  10. oh - YUM!!!

    we can hardly wait to try these biscuits!!!!

    hope y'all are having a good spring!

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    1. J visited my blog! Yay!!! Everyone, Jambaloney is sweet Kymber's hubby. She posts all the time, love her. Jambaloney if you'd come build me a greenhouse like yours, I'd give you free biscuits for life, LOL! :-)

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  11. This recipe looks so easy, and quite delicious. Fortunately all the ingredients I can buy here in Thailand. YEA!!

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    1. COLE!?!?!?!?! Hey hey! Yes, I bet you have everything you need. Thanks for stopping by. For all of you out there wondering, Cole is one of my dearest friends in the world. Glad to have him popping in to visit. Now make those biscuits, ya hear??

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  12. Replies
    1. You are quite welcome. Sorry it took so long, ha.

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  13. did you know when you use a biscuit cutter you do not twist it around. you take and put the cutter on your dough and press & lift up on the cutter . Place biscuit gently on our pan and bake.
    Looks gummy thanks for the recipe

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    1. Yes, i should have mentioned that. Thanks for the reminder!! :-)

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  14. I think those are the most beautiful biscuits I have ever seen. I will make some next week. I am glad you are still blogging your life on the farm.

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    1. Thank you! And thank you for stopping by. You are always welcome.

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  15. I am baking these right now. Can't wait to try them! They look absolutely delicious in your photo! :)

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    1. Aww, you are very kind. Hope they come out, remember they do take practice to be perfect. Don't give up.

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  16. I can NOT believe I missed this post. OH MY GOSH. It's is going to be a biscuit eatin' weekend in the pond I have to tell you.

    And NOW I know the secret. Roll, fold, fold, fold, fold. Roll. Repeat. YAY!

    I can't wait to impress my family on Sunday. You are simply the best. Thank you for taking the time to do this and thank 2nd man for sharing his recipe. *His* gravy just isn't the same without these biscuits. Besides I need my last teenager to worship me for SOMETHING. [Just one more time. giggle]

    Hugs and THANKS! xo JG

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    1. YAY! I hope they came out for you. Big hugs to you!!!

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  17. Hello! I'd like to make these for biscuits and gravy! I need some help with the butter tho, some boxes come in 1/2 cup sticks and some come in 1/4 cup. What is the 1 1/2 sticks if butter in your recipe equal in cups? Thanks!

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    1. I can see where that could be confusing with these new stick sizes they have. It is 3/4 Cup of butter. Hope that helps and enjoy the biscuits!

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  18. These sound amazing!! I have buttermilk in my fridge but no half & half. Have you tried this with buttermilk instead of vinegar and half & half? If so, what were the results? Thank you.

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    1. Yes, the vinegar and half and half is just our version of buttermilk because we didn't have any. The results should be similar. We just liked the way these came so we always it the other way. I hope they work for you!! Fingers crossed! The hardest part is getting them folded and rolled out just right. It's just a bit of practice. Thanks for stopping by!!!

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  19. I just made these biscuits with my kids. They had a blast and the biscuits were fantastic! Thanks for posting this recipe.

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    1. Oh my gosh! Thank you for coming back and sharing. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!!!!

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  20. Great!!!!!! Thank you for posting this. I make mine the same way except for the folding you wouldn't think it would change it much but it does...thanks again :)

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    1. Awesome!! Yep, the folding is what helps with the layers. Baking is a fickle beast isn't it? Ha.

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  21. It is sunday the 30th of August I just found your recipe oh my goodness sakes alive..They are baking now and the smell is heavenly..I have fresh peach jam from my neighbor and my hubs is sleeping. We got our first nice rain and windy too for about the whole dadblasted year here in our small town in the last city before Portland Oregon (Vancouver USA) Washington state, 100 year drought, wild fires and homes and businesses destroyed..Horrible..These will be so appreciated I did not cook in my west facing tiny kitchen most of the entire year, instead I did the food outside on an old kettle cooker far from our home and bbq, people could smell the bbq and the food and came by just like they do in Austin texas where our only child spends a good part of her summer working on a indy film and hates to return to NYC but she gets to be people who love and adore her, eats the best food around bbq and southern food she travels all over Texas and loves the people places and the films she gets to work on..Thanks for providing this recipe it will be my go to each time I make any kind of biscuits. Love your blog I learn something each time I visit..Hope Houston was fun and interesting, have a most peaceful joyfull next week...!

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    1. Thank you so much, I'm so sorry this reply is so late. I hope you have come back and enjoyed the blog some more. You are so very sweet and kind for leaving this wonderful comment.

      Big hugs to you from us!

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  22. Don't throw away them empty butter wrappers. There is always bits of butter left on the wrappers; Save and use that last bit of butter to butter the top of your homemade biscuits or bread loafs.
    Anytime you use butter in a receive them wrappers and put in ziplock bag and keep in freezer to use for buttering pans , etc.
    I try not to throw away what an be used no matter how small it may be, including that itty bitty butter on the wrappers.
    ColleenB.~Texas

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    1. Thank you for this suggestion!!! It's amazing how much butter is left even when it looks like there isn't any, ha.

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  23. This recipe makes the most beautiful and delicious biscuits. Thank you for your blog!

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    1. Well, aren't you so very kind! Thank you for this. It will make 2nd Man's day. I'll let him know!

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  24. I'm impressed! Wow! And to think all I do is pull out the Bisquick box... ha. This looks like a great recipe to try on a cold winter morning. Fire up the inferno and bake away! I like that cutter/scraper too. I've thought of getting one for years--I used to work at a gourmet kitchen ware store. This recipe would be a good excuse to use one (although I do bake bread).

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    1. I'm sorry for delay in replying to this. The older post comments drop down the list and I miss them on occasion. Hey, bisquick biscuits are great, no arguments there, ha.

      Oh, if we worked at a kitchenware store (SLT or WS) we'd go broke for sure!!! Thanks for stopping by!!

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  25. Hi, I’m looking forward to making these biscuits. I’m a little terrified though. On the folding part, in the picture, after the folds, the dough sits pretty high. Do I press the dough all the way down in order to make the additional folds as instructed? Thank you, I’ll be serving mine with buttermilk fried chicken.

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    1. Yes you are correct. You fold and then roll out, then fold and roll out. You can make that easy by pushing down before rolling. Don't be scared, 2nd Man knows these backwards and forwards but I actually did them once and they came out great. :-)

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  26. Oh sweet baby Jesus! Just finished eating a beautiful light layered golden biscuit made from this recipe and it moves to the top of my biscuit recipes! Thanks for the great tutorial pictures. They helped so much in making these delightful treats.

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    1. WOW, you made out night. Thank you for this. 2nd Man was so happy. Glad they came out and thank you for the comment. Don't be a stranger! Come back soon!

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  27. Followed your prep pictures and I do believe these are my new biscuits also!!! Very good and great with gravy!! Thank you !!!!

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    1. Awesome! We're so happy to hear it! Thank you for sharing it really made our night!

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  28. I just wanted to comment that I've been using this recipe for biscuits since I stumbled across it on Pinterest back in 2014. Thank you so much for sharing it?

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    1. Oh my, you just made our evening (and especially 2nd Man, ha). I read him this comment and said "wow, that means so much that someone would take the time to come back years later and comment".

      So, thank YOU for your kind words!

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  29. My dad made the best biscuits and i learned from him. I just made your biscuits but i made 1/4 of the batch since i dont trust myself with that many biscuits. hahaha. They are the best! So tender and so good. I have my mouth full as i write this. :) I should have made the whole batch!!!!!! yummmmmmm

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  30. These look so delish. They're known as scones in Australia and always offered with butter or jam and cream. Grandmothers and mothers are often the experts but I'm learning. I had them in Canada in the savoury sense. Equally lovely.

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