web analytics

Southern Biscuits

Posted on

Southern BiscuitsThere are quite a few different foods that people associate with Southern cooking, but biscuits stand out as one of the constants that you’ll find in any restaurant and in just about every kitchen in the South. Biscuits are a quick bread and a side dish, and there are a tremendous number of variations on a basic biscuit recipe out there. Some are crispy, some are crumbly and some are soft. A classic Southern biscuit is light, tender and flaky with a very slightly crisp, browned exterior and a moist interior. They’re made fresh and served hot out of the oven – and once you’ve eaten one, you’ll know exactly why they’re so popular. Southern Biscuits is a cookbook devoted to the biscuit, with dozens of recipes for every biscuit you can think of – and some you probably haven’t.

Making good biscuits is like making good pie crust: it isn’t difficult to do once you have the technique down, but learning the technique can be a bit of a challenge. This book definitely approaches biscuit making step-by-step, holding your hand (if you need it) as you learn to make biscuits. There are quite a few recipes for easy, biscuit biscuits that will be easy for a novice biscuit-maker to master and still satisfying for those who are already experienced and looking for a quick biscuit fix. Easy biscuits make up the first chapter of the book, but there are also chapters on Basic Biscuits, Embellished Biscuits and Party Biscuits. Past the biscuit recipes, you’ll find chapters that offer recipes for things that can top biscuits, such as jam and gravy, and main dishes that use biscuits, such as Chicken and Dumplings. The book wraps up with a chapter dedicated to desserts.

You might not have thought that the biscuit was such a versatile quick bread, but you’ll be surprised wehn you see the variety of recipes presented in this book. Whether you’re looking for quick and easy or more
“gourmet,” you’ll find the recipe in here. There is even a recipe for a basic biscuit mix – rather like Bisquick – that you can mix up a big batch of and store in your fridge, just adding milk before you bake for almost-instant homemade biscuits. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow along with, and the book is packed with plenty of tips to ensure that your biscuits come out perfectly, as well as with many beautiful photos. The one thing that the book doesn’t come with is the smell of freshly baked biscuits, so you’ll have to supply that yourself!

Share this article

5 Comments
  • sara
    June 6, 2011

    Ooooh, fun! Thanks for the review – this book looks great…I love biscuits! 🙂

  • Heather
    June 6, 2011

    I love biscuits! Ironic, because I just posted the other day about baking powder biscuits, which is my go-to recipe for lots of quick breads.

  • Pattypro
    June 6, 2011

    We love biscuits! I just made pumpkin pecan ones for breakfast yesterday…first time…won’t be the last.
    I used to watch Nathalie on our local PBS station. I had never been very successful with pie crusts or biscuits, but she made them look so easy and approachable, and gave great instructions and hints. Using her techniques, I’m proud to say that I now make great pie crusts and biscuits! I will definitely have to add this book to my collection.

  • Thank you for the education! Being an Aussie girl, my only education in Southern Cooking as watching Iron Chef America… but after that description, I’m reallllyyyy wanting to get involved in these “biscuits,” they sound amazing!!

  • Shanna
    June 10, 2011

    We had a biscuit festival here in Knoxville, TN a couple weekends back. Just the second annual, but the attendence was about 4 or 5 times what came in last year!

    Biscuits Rule!

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *