Ask Me Help Desk - Bad cooker askes for recipe

I make biscuits often but they never turn out just right one time I made it it tasted like it had too much flower and the next time to crumblely LOL I can't get it at the happy middle

The recipe I have been using was

2 cups of flower(I use all purpose so I don't need baking powder)
4 Tablespoons of butter or shortening (I use shortening)
1 1/2 tsp of salt
And about 3/4 cups of milk

I mix it up with my hands and then roll it out then cut it out and put it in a greased pan and cook it at 400 degrees and cook it 12-15 min

And I just can't get them to turn out right

My wife (Cat1864) is much better at biscuits. I'll leave this one for her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by newlywed801

i make biscuits often but they never turn out just right one time i made it it tasted like it had to much flower and the next time to crumblely LOL i can't get it at the happy middle

the recipe i have been using was

2 cups of flower(i use all purpose so i dont need baking powder)
4 Tablespoons of butter or shortening (i use shortening)
1 1/2 tsp of salt
and about 3/4 cups of milk

i mix it up with my hands and then roll it out then cut it out and put it in a greased pan and cook it at 400 degrees and cook it 12-15 min

and i just can't get them to turn out right

I put a recipe above. I think the problem with yours is that it doesn't use anything like paking powder. Try mine. I make it all the time and it always comes out good, and it's easy. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by newlywed801

i make biscuits often but they never turn out just right one time i made it it tasted like it had to much flower and the next time to crumblely LOL i can't get it at the happy middle

the recipe i have been using was

2 cups of flower(i use all purpose so i dont need baking powder)
4 Tablespoons of butter or shortening (i use shortening)
1 1/2 tsp of salt
and about 3/4 cups of milk

i mix it up with my hands and then roll it out then cut it out and put it in a greased pan and cook it at 400 degrees and cook it 12-15 min

and i just can't get them to turn out right

Just to make sure: You are using Self-Rising All-Purpose flour?

The self-rising flour is the one that has baking powder, etc. in it. Plain all-purpose flour is straight flour without the baking additives. (Someday I may share how I learned that they are now packaging Self-rising Flour as All-purpose Self-rising Flour. :) )

One thing that can make biscuits hard is over-working the dough by mixing or kneading too much. Unlike yeast bread doughs that need the work-out, quick breads like biscuits like a gentle hand.

It sounds like you may be using the "rub in" method for adding the shortening. I like the "cut in" method of using two knives or a pastry cutter to add it. I tend to over-work the dough using the "rub in" method.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat1864

(Someday I may share how I learned that they are now packaging Self-rising Flour as All-purpose Self-rising Flour. :) )

It's my fault, she sent me to the store. It said All-Purpose... it did.

Yeah it is self rising and I am pretty sure that I was working my dough too much and what I did that has help me out some was take some of the flower out of the measuring cup before mixing my dough up and you it to work it in instead of adding more flower I think when I added more flower when I was rolling them out I ended up adding too much

Sounds like your learning. :)