True story… I love biscuits so, so much, but haven’t been able to replicate my own idea of flaky, fluffy, crispy on the bottom, chewy on the top, just-salty-and-sweet enough perfection. Obviously there are different TYPES of biscuits for different meals… the cover in gravy biscuit, the Hardee’s sausage biscuit, the biscuit for the top of a casserole… but I’m looking for the perfect eat-on-its-own-with-just-a-little-butter biscuit. My grandmother had a fantastic recipe…but I think her own hands and all the love and care for us that she put in them made hers truly delicious. When I try to use her recipe they taste fine, but they just aren’t the same. A few months back I shared the Flying Biscuit’s recipe, (which are so good) but they’re still not what I’m craving most Saturday mornings when it’s biscuit making time.
I’ve tried Sister Shubert’s Angel Biscuit recipe twice recently, and I liked the texture and think they’re perfect to smother in creamed chicken or some sort of gravy. So, think of these as a dinner-time biscuit. It’s a yeast dough, so they’re smoother than regular biscuits, but that also means they weren’t bad with butter and dewberry jam, either, but still not just what I’m personally looking for when it comes to flaky, breakfast or brunch goodness. I’m sharing that recipe here so you can see for yourself.
Now, I know I’m starting to sound like Goldilocks and the Three bears here, but I’m still on the hunt for the biscuit recipe that’s just right and won’t stop until I find it. In the meantime, here’s a recipe to see if it’s YOUR biscuit ideal.
What do you need:
1 package active dry yeast (or 1/4 teaspoon yeast)
1/4 Cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 Degrees)
3/4 cup milk (but apparently buttermilk is better)
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter (the recipe calls for shortening which may have affected the texture somewhat. if you use shortening, the ratio is the same!)
What To Do:
Combine yeast and warm water in a 2 cup measuring cup and let stand for 5 minutes and add the milk. It will start foaming.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and then cut in the butter/shortening with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is course.
Add the yeast/water/milk mixture and stir it until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface (this may be too much flour), and knead 10 to 15 times or until the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Use your rolling pin to roll out the dough and then lightly flour the surface and fold the dough over to make a second layer. Roll it out again to about 3/4″ thickness. (This is my grandmother’s trick to make sure that your biscuits separate easily when you want to butter them or split them!) and then use your cookie/biscuit cutter (I didn’t have one so I used a wine glass…)
Place your biscuits on an ungreased large baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth/tea towel to let rise for about 30 or 45 minutes or until they’ve doubled in bulk. You’ll want to make sure it’s in a warm place (you know..about 85 degrees).
At this point you should preheat your oven to 400 and bake your biscuits for 15 minutes or until golden! You should get about 12…unless you use a smaller biscuit cutter. 
enjoy!
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