Why Baking Biscuits from Home Is Tough

Making biscuits from scratch can be a difficult task. Compared to a factory that has all the biscuit sandwiching machines and other equipment, DIYers have it rough when it comes to making their favorite snack. Many things can go wrong, and it can be tough to get the perfect result.

But don’t worry, because we will let you in on some of the most common mistakes people make when baking biscuits at home and the tips for avoiding these mistakes so you can make delicious, fluffy biscuits every time.

You Have to Know the Right Ingredients

Biscuits are not some hodgepodge of random ingredients that you can just throw together and hope for the best. There is a science to it, and if you don’t use the right ingredients, you’ll end up with something that tastes terrible. The most crucial component in biscuits is definitely flour.

You might be tempted to use all-purpose flour because it’s what you have at home, but that would be a mistake. Biscuits need a higher protein flour so that they can rise and be fluffy. The best flour to use for biscuits is either White Lily or Martha White self-rising flour. If you don’t have either of those, you can use all-purpose flour, but you’ll need to add baking powder and salt. The ratio is one teaspoon of baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of salt per cup of flour.

Another critical ingredient in biscuits is fat. You need to use solid fat to create pockets of air in the dough, which will make your biscuits light and fluffy. The best fats for biscuits are butter, lard, or shortening. Butter is the most common fat used in biscuits because it gives them a delicious flavor. Lard is also a good option, but it can be hard to find, and some people don’t like the taste. Shortening is a good option if you’re looking for a vegan option, but it doesn’t add as much flavor to the biscuits.

You Need to Handle the Dough Gently

The key to making light and fluffy biscuits is handling the dough as little as possible. Once you’ve mixed all of the ingredients together, you want to gently pat it out into a rectangle and then fold it over on itself a few times. After you’ve folded it over a few times, you want to pat it out again into a rectangle and then use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits.

It will start to get tough if you handle the dough too much, and the biscuits will be dense instead of light and fluffy.

The Biscuits Need to Bake in a Hot Oven

Another mistake people make when baking biscuits is not baking them in a hot enough oven. Biscuits need to be baked at a high temperature so that they can rise and be fluffy. The ideal temperature is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have an oven that gets that hot, you can preheat it to the highest temperature it will go and then turn it off and let the biscuits sit in there for a few minutes before you put them in. This will help them rise. You also want to make sure you bake the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If you don’t use one of these, the biscuits will stick to the pan, and they’ll be hard to get off.

We hope this article was helpful and that you feel more confident about making biscuits from home. Remember, the key is to use the right ingredients, handle the dough gently, and bake in a hot oven. With these tips, you’ll be able to make delicious biscuits 10 out of 10 times.