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Rosie's Buttermilk Biscuits

by:
July  5, 2013
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 12 biscuits
Author Notes

My grandmother often used lard in her buttermilk biscuits, but on occasion she'd use bacon grease. The latter preparation is my favorite because it adds depth of flavor and smokiness. She always used self-rising flour (specifically, White Lily brand), but all-purpose flour can be substituted with the addition of 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Rendered bacon grease will contain a little salt, but not enough to season the entire batch of dough. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt along with the leaven. —Heather Baird

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Ingredients
  • 2 cups Self-rising flour
  • 2 tablespoons cold bacon fat
  • 1 cup cold buttermilk (full fat)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Place flour into a large mixing bowl. Fluff it gently and very briefly with a whisk.
  3. Add cold bacon fat and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbs form. If you don't have a pastry blender you can quickly rub the fat into the flour with your fingers.
  4. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk.
  5. Mix with a fork until the liquid and dry ingredients are just combined and a sticky dough is achieved. If your dough is too stiff, add 1-2 more tbsp. buttermilk.
  6. Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface and then lightly sprinkle the dough with additional flour. Knead 5 or 6 times and pat dough out flat with well floured hands to 1 1/2" thickness.
  7. Cut dough into rounds using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter; re-roll scraps and cut more biscuits until all of the dough is used. If dough wants to stick to the cutter, lightly flour it between cuts.
  8. Place biscuits, just touching, on a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking sheet.
  9. Bake for 15 -20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the biscuit tops with the 2 tbsp melted butter. Serve warm
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I'm Heather, an artist-turned-baker with a passion for desserts! I write the SprinkleBakes blog - a place where I show people how to add more sparkle to their baking. I live in Knoxville, TN. with my husband Mark and two pugs named Biscuit and Churro. My book "SprinkleBakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist" was published May 2012.

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37 Reviews

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Chris G. April 19, 2015
Buttermilk, from Wikipedia (everything you "wanted" to know about "REAL" Buttermilk & more-Chris)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk
Josh B. December 6, 2014
If no self-rising flour then cake or pastry flour with added salt and baking powder will work. Most self-rise flour is a lower protein than AP. AP will make them slightly tougher. Though not enough that most could tell the difference. I also used butter instead of bacon fat and it works just fine. I think any fat thats solid at room temp would work ok, duck fat, lard, butter, bacon fat, etc. I dont know how they get 12 biscuits out of this recipe, I can only get 4. I guess mine are little bigger than theirs.
James P. November 11, 2013
I live in Kansas, and use Hudson Cream short patent flour, and bacon grease for my biscuits. With the revelations about how unhealthy margarine is, I've gone back to cooking with butter, bacon grease, and sometimes even lard. A healthy balance of fat is what's needed. I don't use buttermilk enough to keep it on hand most of the time, but I have found a powdered buttermilk. You just add water and the mix, in place of the buttermilk in the recipe. It isn't quite as good as using real buttermilk, but close enough for me, and better than using plain milk.
Debbie September 1, 2013
I remember my grandma's biscuits. nothing like them. my aunt still makes them, but she uses lard.
Innocent September 1, 2013
Any substitutes for bacon grease? Will like to know please.
Esther September 1, 2013
Coconut oil is a good substitute for just about anything and my choice.
Sou F. September 1, 2013
Grisco works great instead of Bacon Fat
Kelly S. September 1, 2013
My mother used lard. We all know how unhealthy that is. To be honest, you can use olive oil or any other monounsaturated fat. You can also use whole wheat flour. If using flour that is not self-rising, use about 1 T. of baking powder, a pinch of soda, and 1/2 to 1 tsp. of salt per two cups of flour.
trackhorse March 29, 2018
Lard is not unhealthy
Kelly S. August 31, 2013
You can use plain yogurt in place of the buttermilk. I've done that with biscuits and with Buttermilk Pie.
Marlene August 31, 2013
These could be the biscuits my Mother made every Sunday morning. I wouldn't know because she never used a recipe. She never had self rising flour but always,always Gold Medal and nothing else.
When she baked them she would melt a lump of bacon fat in a pie plate while the oven was heating up. She would place a biscuit in the pie plate and flip it over so the biscuit was coated on both sides with bacon fat. Talk about GOOD! O for the days when bacon was good for us and we could drink out of the garden hose. lol
Gennie H. August 31, 2013
veronica, you can use whole milk. just add 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar to two cups of whole milk. Instant buttermilk. Gennie Hardin
Veronica L. August 31, 2013
Thank you Gennie!!
Veronica L. August 31, 2013
Hi! I'm from Argentina and we don't have buttermilk here. What can I use instead?
carl August 31, 2013
regular milk with a Generous squeeze of lemon juice...( I like a lot...3 tbs or so )
carl August 31, 2013
also, most make the mistake of 'over working' the dough..treat it lightly, like holding a butterfly, so it doesn't stick to your hands and yet not so much the breath of life that resides within, is crushed.... Blessings, As Always, I Remain...
Veronica L. August 31, 2013
Thank you Carl!!
Mary F. August 31, 2013
I just asked about the 2 tbsp of melted butter, AND FOUND MY ANSWER IN NO. 9. Sorry, but am looking forward to making for my family.
Judy M. August 31, 2013
Love the bacon fat.
virginiaschrum August 31, 2013
look good I will try to make them think you
donna P. August 31, 2013
I forgot about these biscuits, My mother made them.. My children never had them but make sure I will make them now for both my children and my grandchildren. Thank you so very much!
Esther August 31, 2013
I do not see salt or baking power in this recipe, is there a reason?
James L. August 31, 2013
self rising flour, and enough salt in the bacon fat
Esther August 31, 2013
Thank you, you can see I am not a cook, but I do remember my grandmothers biscuits as well and tried to make them.
Frederick K. August 31, 2013
If given a choice between having biscuits and just about any other bread product.....Pass the biscuits please.
Mary G. August 31, 2013
My grandma didn't have self-rising flour! My grandma didn't have a choice of full-fat or reduced fat buttermilk! If grandma didn't have buttermilk, she would add a little vinegar to good old-fashioned fat milk ! Mmmm, so good.
Lisa M. August 31, 2013
Need a "southern" flour like White Lily. The wheat is more soft - it makes a difference.
Deanie August 31, 2013
as in the author notes . . . "all-purpose flour can be substituted with the addition of 4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Rendered bacon grease will contain a little salt, but not enough to season the entire batch of dough. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt along with the leaven." Enjoy your baking! They are heavenly!
Deanie August 31, 2013
Henry Jones (1812 – 12 July 1891) was a baker in Bristol, England, who was responsible in 1845 for inventing self-raising flour.
For Biscuits, my Mother always used AP Flour & added her own baking powder and soda which was determined on whether she used milk or buttermilk, but for other baking she did use Self-raising! We were from the South also.
Joyce August 31, 2013
If I don't have self-rising flour, how much baking powder or soda would I add? Love the pix. They look yummy!
Kelly S. September 1, 2013
For two cups of flour, add about 1 T. of baking powder, a pinch of soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Arthur I. August 27, 2013
Just like grandma!