Betty Crocker's Baking Powder Biscuits (Light, Flaky and Tender)
"I have been using this recipe for years from the first cookbook that I ever owned, my Betty Crocker's Big Red Cookbook, from my high school home economics class. I make these for my mom, and she loves them. Having my mom's seal of approval guarantees these are good because she knows her biscuits. My mom's mother (my grandma) made handmade biscuits two to three times every single day during my mom's childhood growing up on a farm."
photo by Garden Gate Kate
- Ready In:
- 22mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Yields:
-
7 biscuits
- Serves:
- 7
ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup shortening
- 3⁄4 cup milk
directions
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Cut in shortening using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).
- Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or pat 3/4 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 ½ -inch round cutter. Place on ungreased cooked sheet about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides (I prefer crusty sides). After cutting as many biscuits as possible, lightly press-don’t knead- the scraps of dough together to make 1 to 2 more biscuits.
- Bake 10 to 12 min or until golden brown. Serve warm.
- Note: This recipe doubles very well. Every time that I make these, I always double this recipe. To double, simply double all the ingredients. Also, the key to high-rise, flaky biscuits is having really fresh baking powder and not overworking the dough. Even if your baking powder is not expired, the biscuits will not rise if the baking powder has clumps inside the container. Also, I cannot emphasize enough to just lightly knead the dough 10 times; over-kneading will produce a tough biscuit. When you pat the dough to ¾ inch thickness, the baking powder will already be activating the dough to rise. Do not re-pat the dough down again because the air bubbles forming will make the biscuits flaky.
- Betty Crocker's Tips for Biscuits: Tip One: One secret to making flaky biscuits is thoroughly blending or "cutting in" the shortening and dry ingredients. A pastry blender, which breaks the shortening into little lumps works great for cutting inches If you don't have one, you can crisscross two table knives through the flour and shortening or use a wire whisk.
- Tip Two: Use a biscuit cutter dipped in flour to cut the dough, pushing the cutter straight down through the dough. If you twist as you cut, the biscuits will be uneven. Cut the biscuits as close together as possible. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, use the end of an open 6-ounce juice can or other narrow can or glass, or use cookie cutters for fun shapes. Dip in flour before cutting.
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Reviews
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Great recipe. Rather than use two knives to cut in shortening- can’t find my pastry cutter- I slowly spun the bowl and used a pizza cutter. Worked great! -
Amazing flavor great texture! Thank you for sharing the recipe -
WONDERFUL!!!! Your so right they are delicious, flaky, and light! Your added directions were a true guidance. Thank you so much for posting!
Tweaks
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Love them!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Garden Gate Kate
United States
<p>My grandfather did not speak or read a word of English when he moved to America from China at eleven years old. With a lot of hard work, he proudly became an US citizen and began his own Cantonese restaurant in Kingston, NY, from the ground up. He is not a trained chef but has a natural gift for combining unexpected flavors and ingredients into the most delicious dishes. Although the food on the menu is the absolute best Chinese food in the country, the really out-of-this-world dishes are the ones that he serves his family in the back of the restaurant. He doesn't read cookbooks or write down any of his recipes; all his creations are original. Growing up, I spent every summer with him eating these foods. Every morning, we would pick fresh vegetables from his garden that he would use to make the noon and evening meals with. He stuffed garden zucchini the size of my arm (of course, my arm was smaller then) with fresh lobster and shrimp. This is just one example of a simple summertime lunch for him. Without a doubt, his cooking is the greatest influence on my tastes in foods and my own recipes.</p>
