Are you in the North and having trouble making biscuits?

[RonB]

Here's a not too long article on why biscuits in the north suck.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-most-of-america-is-terrible-at-making-biscuits?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

[Donw]

“Southern Biscuit Mix” brand still uses soft wheat. Maybe it can be found in stores up North?

[Panhead John]

Well she’s totally wrong about no vendors in Dallas or Houston selling the White Lily flour…everybody here sells it. HEB, Kroger and Walmart do anyway. I’ve seen the White Lily brand of flour for years but never bought any. I don’t bake, but use flour for other things.

[Panhead John]

It’s been available here in Houston as long as I can remember, way before the article came out.

[58limited]

I get it here in SE Texas

[barelfly]

Come on! Homemade biscuits with that Cajun cookin you do! Get after it PJ!

[texastweeter]

No.

[WI Bubba]

I've used soft wheat, hard wheat, and White Lily self rising flour. Goodness knows how many different recipes, fats, and fluids. My biscuits still suck.

The absolute worst part is that I can make a pretty killer sausage gravy.

[gcdmd]

58limited I keep my baking powder (and yeast) in the freezer to slow down the deterioration.

[58limited]

Good idea

[bbqLuv]

Go Good Sausage Gravy.

[SheilaAnn]

I totally suck at making biscuits! My sausage gravy is also very good!

[58limited]

I make OK biscuits but I made this Kent Rollins recipe last month and they turned out great! One of my best batches: https://kentrollins.com/cathead-biscuits/

[bbqLuv]

Pop open https://www.fredmeyer.com/p/pillsbur...s&gad_source=7
Ready made

[acorgihouse]

My brother was stationed for a while in Groton, CT, and then for few years at some strange prototype nuclear power plant in NY, called The Egg. During those years, my mom and I routinely bootlegged White Lily self rising flour, along with Tenn sausage and stone ground grits, to my sister in law. I thought, when I was young, that you could only make real biscuits with White Lily.

[mrteddyprincess]

I disagree. My biscuits are layered and fluffy when I use traditional bread flour. However, I also have taken to buying soft white wheat berries and milling my own flour, and that's pretty dang good too! Southern biscuits can be made in the North! Come over to my house and I'll feed them to you. :-)

B

[JCBBQ]

Now I want biscuits

[SheilaAnn]

JCBBQ and sausage gravy or warm butter and blackberry jam or…..

[Bkhuna]

The best biscuits are made with soft winter wheat flour, buttermilk, and lard. The biggest problem is overworking the dough.

This is an old clip from Alton Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHD__HkfexY

[gcdmd]

Southern boy originally

[JCBBQ]

Southern Living concurs. Nice video using White Lily and some other “secrets”.

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/buttermilk-biscuits

[gcdmd]

The frozen butter technique should work for pie dough, as well.

[RonB]

gcdmd - it does work well for pie dough, but I use Kenji's food processor pie dough recipe now, and that is the best and easiest pie dough I have made.

https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-pie-dough-recipe

[MattTheGR8]

America's Test Kitchen recommended a similar technique with frozen butter and it’s worked well for me.

[Smoker_Boy]

Found out my Kroger carries White Lily. (who knew??)

I just got back from buying some, and will be making some biscuits this afternoon.

[Donw]

Biscuit wise it does make you a southerner at heart. Ohio is one of the largest producers of soft wheat and White Lily’s main mill was in Ohio after they left Knoxville. 🙂

[Smoker_Boy]

I think you're right.
I certainly don't fit in with the northerners.

Oak Smoke

[RonB]

Don't forget the photos.

[Oak Smoke]

I just checked on line. Our HEB has White Lily flour. I feel sorry for doubting them. Could it be that flour is one of the secrets to great tortillas?

[58limited]

Good question, never noticed anyone specify a flour for tortillas. For corn tortillas the masa does make a difference. The best I've found is Masienda - I had to mail order it, so much better than the masa from the local stores. People swear that Blue Bird flour is the only one to use for Navaho fry bread.

[gcdmd]

58limited @Oak Smoke
Flour tortillas often contain baking powder:

https://www.homesicktexan.com/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas/

https://www.kitchenwrangler.com/recipes/sides/homemade-flour-tortillas/

So, you could presumably use White Lilly

[Smoker_Boy]

Wow!!!
Soft biscuits.
In Ohio no less.





Very good for the first try.

[Smoker_Boy]

RonB - Thanks!!

[gcdmd]

Lookin' good.

[jfmorris]

Looking good!

[J-Melt]

As a transplanted Texan, I have had great success making good biscuits in Chicago. Pretty much all of what I do has already been listed above. I freeze my butter, usually cubed, then freeze, then I use a pastry cutter to break it down more. I also use real buttermilk. I grew up on fake buttermilk made with milk and vinegar or lemon juice. The real stuff has made all the difference! I am sad that I’ve been missing that my whole life!

The one thing I’ve never tried is White Lily. I will see if I can find it and see what happens!

[Murdy]

I checked it on Instacart in the Chicago area and got one result, Food4Less, which is apparently a Kroger company and has a few stores in in the Chicago 'burbs. I never heard of it, and when I went to the Food4Less website and used the store locator, it pointed me to several northside Mariano's. So, apparently they have White Lily locally for about $5 a bag.

[J-Melt]

Okay! I think there are several food4lees here on the south side. I know I’ve seen them!

[SheilaAnn]

This side of the Rockies, Food4Less is the Cub Foods of Costco. With no grocery baggers. Over here, it’s very regional, so I jump in there for certain Latin ingredients, etc.