This is a recipe I use....it's called "rolls" and contains yeast, and is made with baking powder instead of self rising flour....AND baked at 400....but the amount of shortening is almost the same...LOL!
And yes butter and crisco can be measured/weighed the same.
But frankly....Unless you wanted something less like a biscuit and more like a roll....I'd look for an other recipe.

Buttermilk Refrigerator Rolls
1 Package dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup melted butter
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
2 cups buttermilk
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in butter
Combine dry ingredients; add to yeast mixture along with buttermilk.
Stir well. Turn dough out on a floured surface, knead gently a few times and shape into a ball. Place in greased bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Keeps for one week.
Break off a soft ball sized lump of dough and roll into a circle about 1/4" thick. Cut into pie shaped wedges and roll up from the wider edge into crescent shapes. You do not have to let them rise again.
Bake on greased baking sheet at 400 for 8-10 minutes

Crisco doesn't contain water so if you're going to use it in place of butter you will need to add a little. To replace 1/2 cup of butter which is equal to 1/4 lb of butter, use 1/2 cup of Crisco plus 3 teaspoons of water.

When I make biscuits I like to gently shape the dough into a rectangle, with the short side facing you. Spread 11/2T - 2 TBSP of softened butter on the top 2/3 section. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down. Like folding a letter. Gently roll out the dough one more time, or just sort of press it into the rectangular shape, and repeat the process.

It is sort of like how puff pastry is made.

This is my go-to recipe and it works for me every time.
I don't bother brushing the tops with milk.

Baking-Powder Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 cup milk (plus more for brushing over tops)

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, (or just your fingers, as I do), cut in butter until coarse crumbs.

Pour milk over top, stirring with fork to form ragged dough.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead gently until dough comes together. Pat or roll into 3/4" thickness.

Using 3/4" floured cutter (I just cut the bottom off a soup tin and use that), cut out rounds. Gather up scraps and cut more rounds, pressing remaining scraps into a final biscuit.

Place on baking sheet and brush tops with more milk.

Bake in center of 375 degree oven about 30 minutes or until golden.

Teresa, do you use baking powder with self-rising flour, or ever put sugar in biscuits? I'm anxious to hear how these turn out for you and I agree with the temerature you usually use, I bake at 450 also.

I have only used yeast in angel biscuits, otherwise I call them rolls.

jude

I'm from the deep South (Mississippi), and to my knowledge, I've never eaten a non-yeast biscuit with sugar. I don't use a recipe; I just make them "by feel" the way my grandma taught me. Until recently, I've never used baking powder with self-rising flour, but my biscuits haven't tasted "normal" lately, so I've started adding a little salt and baking powder to my self-rising flour, and I've been happy with the results. I generally bake mine at 375. The slower baking time seems to allow the flavors to develop a bit more.

This may or may not be true, but I was told that using butter in place of Crisco (the ONLY shortening ;) makes for tough biscuits. My daughter does it, and I'm not a fan of her biscuits.

I also don't brush the tops with butter or anything. Why bother when I'm going to slather the finished product in butter anyway?

Jude, no I don't add extra baking powder when I use s-r flour and I don't put sugar in my biscuits - but hey! you know Southerners like stuff sweet. I think I will try making half of the recipe per the directions and bake at 350 (shudder) to see what results.

I've always used the recipe on the bag of s-r flour and that worked fine. Heck, I even bought Southern Biscuit's Formula L biscuit mix which is quite good. But I always have s-r flour on hand so generally just cut in some shortening and mix with buttermilk, but bake at 450 per the bag of s-r flour.

I'll post my results. People rave about the biscuits at this place. Some go mainly FOR the biscuits!
Teresa

Here's a review with pictures of somebody trying Poogan's Porch biscuit recipe (identical to the one you have). Theirs came out like "hockey pucks". :(

Anxious to hear how yours come out. I also think the proportions are off (at least for biscuits as this northern girl knows them). :)

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Poogan's Porch biscuits

Around here the restaurants put a pinch of sugar and sometimes a mere dash of onion powder in the butter they slather on top of the rolls when served hot. Of course they taste good at first inclination, but the rolls deflate and you are stuck with flat nothings.

A biscuit, on the other hand, to me, has more substance and does not need anything on top. They are not airy like rolls and use baking powder and buttermilk to be tender and flaky.

Agree that 350F is too slow an oven for rolls or biscuits.

Nancy

I have made the recipe I use, with shortening and butter..
I prefer them with butter. And I like to make sure my cut in butter is different sizes..

Big Daddy Biscuits

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sugar
1 t salt
Mix well with a fork.

Cut in 1/3 c cold butter or shortening.

Stir in 1 c milk.

Dough will be a bit wet.
Fold/knead about 15-20 times on a well floured surface.
Pat out dough to about 1/2" thickness.
Cut with cutter, glass or knife.

Bake at 425F until tops are golden brown.
These will grow to about 3 times the height they went in..and be flaky layers.

Terri, I've made those Big Daddy biscuits often. Very good! That recipe uses more butter/shortening than some others.

Teresa

When we were in Mt. Pleasant/Charleston in the spring we went out for brunch only once and I had eggs benedict, so no biscuit there. DH wanted biscuits and gravy but the only gravy was onion gravy so he opted to have something else. Obviously we don't know how good their biscuits were. Their menu was extensive but not what you would see at most restaurants in E. Tn. Can you say Cracker Barrel....for instance?LOL They had some very oddball combinations. I am not a picky eater but there were not that many things I would have considered ordering.

jude

Teresa, I'd say with the recipe above..it's the LARGE amount of sugar and the buttermilk that make them "taste" good.

But I too am not sure about that temp..

I think what "raises the flakey layers" is the "hot" temp in most biscuit recipes.

I only make biscuits with Crisco and what I am going to tell you would not work with butter.

I buy a 5 pound bag of self rising flour and mix in 2 cups of Crisco with a pastry blender until well blended. Then I put it in a tall plastic canister and put it on the pantry shelf.

When I am ready to make biscuits I measure out what I want to make and mix a little baking soda in it. Then I add butermilk. If you are using regular milk instead of buttermilk, DON'T add the soda. It is roughly half as much milk as mix, but that's not exact. I just add until I get the right dough.

The biscuits are very quick to make. I put a little oil and a little melted butter in the pan. I dip the biscuit, then turn it over making that the top. The butter makes it taste good and allows it to brown and mixed with oil it doesn't burn easily. I cook at 450.

You can use the mix just like you would the yellow box stuff, and save the extra money for a t-bone.

Hey Teresa, I don't make biscuits too often but I use slowlane's method, no recipe just what I was taught by Mom and Grandma. SR flour, cut in crisco, add buttermilk, (till looks "right"), handle gently, cut and bake at 450 until golden brown.
And like slowlane the last ones just didn't turn out right, wonder if there has been a change in the amount of salt, baking powder, soda added by manufacturers??? Some food manufacturers are messing with size of packaging, ingredients, etc....but I digress.
Could there have been a typo in the temp in the recipe???
350 seems way too low for biscuits, IMHO.
Let us know how they turn out for you.

I thought 350 was a typo also and looked at several references on the web for this recipe. I also looked at pictures of the biscuits from this restaurant and they certainly didn't look overly browned. Some even looked a little leaning-tower-of-pisa-ish, sort of leaning over to one side. I usually bake my biscuits with sides touching to they rise up and don't spread out as much or topple.

It may be this weekend before I have time to bake this biscuit recipe, so stay tuned.

Teresa

I practiced making biscuits for a YEAR before I got them just like I wanted them. Here's my personal recipe (oh, and I use the food processor to cut the Crisco into the dry ingredients).

PAT'S PERFECT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In medium mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Using whisk, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal with some tiny bits of shortening still visible. Add buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a soft dough.
Turn out onto floured board and toss dough to coat with flour until dough is no longer sticky. Shape biscuit dough into large balls with hands. Place biscuits onto greased baking sheet. Pat to flatten slightly. Bake for about 13 minutes or until biscuits are light golden brown. Serve immediately.

I make biscuits by "feel". Like pastry, you need to add enough liquid. You can't always go by what the recipe calls for. Adjustments need to be made. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more.

I prefer to make biscuits with butter. Liquid can be buttermilk, milk or even cream.

If you use a box grater to grate the butter into the flour, you will have the perfect size pieces of butter. Then just pat and fold a couple of times for very flaky biscuits.

Wonderful plain, but you can also add cheese, bacon, ham, herbs, etc....

Country Biscuits
================
2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, lard, Crisco or butter (I use butter)
1 cup of milk (cream) or buttermilk
if using buttermilk add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)

Optional. Add a little sugar if you prefer sweet rather than savory.

Mix the flour with the baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter/shortening until it resembles coarse meal. Stir milk or cream in to flour mixture. Mix quickly with fork until dough comes together. Using hands gently pat the ingredients together. Fold over once or twice or even three times if necessary. Do not over-handle.

Pat out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with biscuit cutters and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes at 450ðF.

TIP: Using your finger push a little dent into the middle of the biscuit. This helps the biscuit rise straight and prevents it from tipping over as it rises.

If making cheese biscuits add the mustard and cayenne to the dry ingredients and add the cheese after the shortening has been cut into the flour.

Tip: An easy way to cut the butter into the flour is to use a box grater. The large side of the grater makes the perfect size pieces of butter.

Options:

You can use any favourite cheese. Gorgonzola and other blue cheeses are wonderful with the addition of black pepper. Cheddar cheese is good with chives or green onions. Sometimes I add dry mustard and cayenne pepper. Or bacon or ham.

I can't ever get the shortening/butter cut small enough to make biscuits well. Until now! Thanks Ann! I can totally grate really cold butter. I already do this with a streussel toppings.

You are welcome Rob. I also use this method when I make my pastry dough.

Ann

I freeze my butter....cut into cubes and zap zap zap in the Cuisinart.....mixes the butter well without heating it up.
I always keep some butter in the freezer just for a "pastry emergency".

Yup, that works too. I use to do that as well, until I found the grater method. Although I never added the liquid when I used the Food Processor method. I still preferred to add the liquid and mix by hand.

Ann

I also realized later on in the day, I might be able to make a pie crust with that method too! Yep.

:)

I love Paula Deen's recipe:

Buttermilk Biscuit

3 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar (may be omitted)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk
Add the shortening and mix until meal like
Add buttermilk and mix until incorporated
It will be very wet
Dump out on to floured board and kneed lightly
with flour
Roll out and cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter
Bake at 450 for 14 mins or until golden on top

Linda

I finally made the Poogan's Porch biscuit recipe tonight for dinner - only half the original recipe, for exactly as written, FWIW.

You be the judge:

{{gwi:1537192}}

These biscuits were baked for 15 minutes at 350 degrees per the recipe. They were baked through in that time at that temp and they were very light and flaky. But to quote AB - "golden brown and delicious" they were not. I upped the oven to 450 for about 3 more minutes and they started to brown......a little.....only a little. I might make this recipe again, but I will bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees! They really are good tasting! I even sifted the self-rising flour and I will do that again. They did spread out more than rise up. In fact, they didn't rise up hardly at all.

Makes you wonder if the baking temp was *deliberately" misleading.....hmmmmm?

Teresa

They aren't nearly brown enough.
Here's my biscuit...this one's smiling at you :-)