Biscuits--Southern Style

Faith asked for my biscuit recipe, so here goes!

The recipe I use for my buttermilk biscuits is from White Lily Flour.

If you follow the link, you'll notice that it says to bake at 5000 degrees F. Yes, that is a typo. It should be 500 degrees, but if your oven is like mine, you might need to watch the first batch to make sure they don't burn. I have to do mine at 475.

I got hooked on White Lily Self-Rising flour when I lived in Kentucky. I couldn't make a decent biscuit to save my life before I lived in the South, but down there you really do need to know how to make a really good biscuit. (Folks do talk, y'all.)

When I moved back up North, I couldn't find White Lily Self-Rising flour. I tried several other self-rising flours but they just aren't the same. But--good news for those of you who live up North. You can find it at Williams and Sonoma or you can order it online.

Here's my very favorite most wonderful White Lily biscuit recipe (given to me by a friend who actually took the time to teach this Yankee how to do it.)

Cream Biscuits

2 cups White Lily Self-Rising flour, sifted.
1 cup heavy cream (only use heavy cream--this is the only fat in the recipe and they are tough with just whipping cream--voice of experience talking)

Sift flour and add cream. Mix with fork until dough comes just comes together. Overmixing will make a tough biscuit and you don't want tough biscuits. Scrape the dough onto a floured cloth. (dough will be very soft) Fold floured cloth over the dough and gently pat it down with the flat of your hands until it is about 1/2 thick. Do not roll out with a rolling pin!

Cut with a floured 2 " biscuit cutter--do not twist! Just cut down and pull straight up. Biscuits will not rise as high if you twist the cutter. Cut them as close together as possible and only re-form the dough and re-cut once.

Bake at 500 degrees until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Now here's where the fun comes in. Like always, I am not satisfied with the usual recipe. I have to experiment.

Here are a couple of ways you can make these Cream Biscuits into Sweet Cream Biscuits:

To the flour and cream add 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teedle of vanilla. (I add it to the cream first. I'm guessing about a 1/2 tsp. or a little less)

Bake as above then top:

with royal icing and a dusting of cinnamon or

with royal icing made with orange juice and sprinkled with orange zest.

I make them every Christmas morning. Here's a picture from last Christmas.