Description
Fluffy homemade angel biscuits deliver Southern comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen. Pillowy layers of buttery goodness melt in your mouth, promising a delightful companion to any meal you serve.
Ingredients
Scale
Flour and Dry Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
Leavening Agents:
- 1 package dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons warm water
Wet and Fat Ingredients:
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Activate the yeast by combining it with warm water, allowing it to bloom and become frothy.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a spacious mixing bowl, ensuring even distribution of dry ingredients.
- Incorporate shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in buttermilk and the activated yeast mixture, gently stirring until a soft, cohesive dough forms.
- Knead the dough minimally to prevent toughness, just until ingredients are well integrated.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight to develop flavor and improve texture.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Dust work surface generously with flour and roll out the chilled dough to approximately 1/2-inch thickness.
- Use a round biscuit cutter to punch out uniform circular shapes, avoiding twisting the cutter to ensure clean edges.
- Arrange biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing slight spacing between each.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and bake for 12-14 minutes until tops turn golden and edges are crisp.
- Transfer biscuits to a wire rack and serve warm for optimal flavor and texture.
Notes
- Keep yeast water temperature around 110-115°F to activate without killing the yeast, ensuring proper rising and texture.
- Chill dough overnight allows gluten to relax, creating more tender and flakier biscuits with enhanced flavor development.
- Use cold shortening and work quickly when cutting it into dry ingredients to maintain small, pea-sized pieces that create light, airy layers.
- For gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a high-quality gluten-free blend and add xanthan gum for better binding and structure.
- Prep Time: Overnight refrigeration (8 hours) + about 15 minutes active prep
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 243 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 367 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg