I love this recipe...don't be put off by the added yeast; no kneading (well, just a 1 min knead) or rising is necessary. I do sometimes let them sit for 15 min before baking, just for a little rise, but it's not called for. The linked recipe shows how to keep in refer for a few days to bake as needed, but I didn't copy that part of the recipe here. Angel Biscuits

Angel Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4-oz.) envelope active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine yeast and warm water in a 1-cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening and butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.

3. Combine yeast mixture and buttermilk, and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead about 1 minute.

4. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cutter or into 2-inch squares. Place on 2 ungreased baking sheets.

5. Bake at 400° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden

Hi Robert,

We love biscuits. I wonder if you're thinking of scones, just because you mention cutting them into triangles.

Anyway, this is the recipe that I use. I cut it in half, as there is just the two of us.

Baking Powder Biscuits (Canadian Living)

4 cups flour

2 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter cubed

2 cups milk

In large bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until coarse crumbs. Pour 1 3/4 cups of the milk over top, stirring with a fork to form ragged dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead gently until dough comes together. Pat or roll into 3/4" thickness.

Using a floured cutter, push straight down to make round biscuits. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Gather the scraps and pat into a biscuit.

Brush tops with remaining milk, if desired.

Bake in 375 oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

OMG those look great...this is coming from another biscuit lover. Thanks for the recipe.

Hahaa, thanks Mustangs! They are delicious, the only recipe that I use, and I've tried a number.

The face looks a little grumpy! :>D

Robert Givens-

Thanks for the recipe. I have to try cream cheese instead of the cottage cheese in my gluten-free biscuit recipe.

G-F Drop Biscuits
Blend ingredients together with a fork:
2 c. Pamela's Baking/Pancake Mix
1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese
1-2 t. honey

Add enough buttermilk (I usually use homemade kefir) to make a thick dough (1-4 T. buttermilk).
Drop the dough into small mounds using a spoon, or a portion scoop, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Makes 10-12 small biscuits. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven 20-22 minutes, or until well browned. [grainlady note: don't make these drop biscuits very large or they have a "gummy" texture. They freeze well. Reheat, uncovered, in a 350°F toaster oven for a few minutes, until heated through.


Olychick-
I always loved making (yeasted) Whole Wheat Angel Biscuits and freezing them (until firm) on a cookie sheet after they were rolled out and cut. I cut them into squares using a pizza cutter so I don't have any second cuts (which tend to be tough). Stack with parchment paper or waxed paper between layers in a freezer container so they don't stick together. They bake in 10-minutes in a 400° toaster oven when needed, in the amount I needed, or make a quick biscuit topping on a casserole or individual pot pies. So much for "Poppin' Fresh" !!! ;-)

Here is one I use when I need them in a hurry:!! Bisquick, Sour Cream,
7-Up and Butter!!!

7 UP BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7-up
1/2 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7 up.

Dough will be very soft - don't worry

Knead and fold dough until coated with your baking mix.

Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit cutter, or pat out a
square and use a knife to cut square biscuits, which is what I do.

Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish.

Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake @ 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes
or until brown. Do not over bake them. Delish with good jam/jelly

Okay, so now I have to make biscuits for dinner! It's probably been 10 years since I did.

I also like biscuits a lot, and Elery uses this recipe with no rolling, cutting or arranging at all. He likes to make a "pone" of biscuits for breakfast occasionally but could not get the hang of handling the dough gently, so the biscuits were a bit tough. This negates that problem.

Pone Biscuits

5 T butter

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

4 tsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 2/3 c buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter in 8x8 dish. Add all dry ingredients to bowl. Add buttermilk and stir until just combine. Don't over stir. Pour dough into dish with melted butter and press flat. Score into squares. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

He found this on line, but I don't know where. It's fast, easy and pretty good, although I like Ann T's scones best.

Annie

I made biscuits yesterday for breakfast. Here is my recipe:

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 all 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 just until dough starts to come together. Tip out on to lightly floured surface. (Will look shaggy) Using hands gently pat mixture to flatten. Now fold dough like an envelop. Turn and fold again. Do this at least three to four times. The dough is now ready to roll out. This whole step should only take 30 to 45 seconds. Do not over-handle. (Folding forms layers which makes for a very flakey biscuit).

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. Brush biscuits with a little milk or cream and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes at 450°F.

TIP: Using your thumb 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.

NOTE: If you like the tops to stay soft, dip the biscuits, top side down into melted butter.

They're what we call scones! Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the origin of your name of biscuits?

Biscuit comes from the Latin for twice cooked and originally referred to baked and dried things (cakes, really) like Italian biscotti (the biscotti in American supermarkets nowadays are mostly just cookies shaped like biscotti. The real deal are rock hard). As the word spread in Europe some languages grew it to mean tall fluffy cakes as well, while others, including English, expanded it to mean any hard flat small baked good. In England, a distinction rose to label what we call cookies as "sweet biscuits".

I'm not sure of the origin of "cracker", which is what we (US) call a savory biscuit that is made bread style, rather than cake style. By extension, a savory cake style but flat one would also be called a cracker. Our most basic cracker is the soda cracker. It's a crisp flat white docked bread, docked to be very flat. Soda crackers with salt decorating the top are called "saltines". In many ways it tastes like a crisp flat (American) biscuit. :) Americans in England whine over not being able to get them.

The origin of the word "cookie" is Dutch and referred to a small cake. The English word "biscuit" grew in North America to include small risen breads. Cookie eventually won for the hard, flat sweets, and biscuit was narrowed to mean not just small breads but a very particular kind, either "baking powder" or "buttermilk" rising, soft, flaky quickbreads. There are cut or drop biscuits, and among cut there are rolled or gathered biscuits, some are even made with a layering like a croissant dough. What they all share, however, is an aspiration to great height and fluffiness, and a taste of flour, salt, baking powder and butter that's easily identifiable as "biscuit", and amidst the fluffiness, there's a very buttery mouth-feel (which in bad biscuits can be like glue).

Our biscuits aren't like English scones, exactly, but they have much in common. US scones are typically very rich and dense and usually have fruit, nuts or other flavors baked in them, and they're sweet.

An American muffin is a small cake but is typically less sweet than a dessert cake and isn't frosted. It is considered a breakfast food. Something we call an English muffin is a flattish, slightly sour yeast roll that is meant to be split open horizontally. I don't think they actually have them in England, though sometimes they kind of look a bit like crumpets, and that might be where they get their name.

Don't forget Pilot Biscuits (aka Ship's Biscuits), which are similar to hard tack (also spelled hardtack), which were hard, dry crackers (biscuits to the British) using minimal ingredients (flour, water, and sometimes salt), used for long storage. When fat, flavorings and sweeteners were added to the recipe, we got crackers.

Biscuit tip: Make sure your biscuit cutter has a sharp thin edge. Cut straight down in a quick motion, and don't twist the cutter left and right. The twisting action can seal the cut edges and the dough won't rise as much.

-Grainlady

I usually make biscuits the way Ann does, a simple, old timey recipe.

My MIL used to make Angel Biscuits all the time, and I have a few times. The recipe my MIL had makes a very large amount, and is to be kept in the refrigerator to be used as needed. They were treated as drop biscuits rather than rolled out biscuits. Her's weren't buttermilk like Olychick's, but I bet that adds an even better flavor to an already delicious biscuit.

Sally

To me the only difference between Canadian/American style Scones and biscuits is the addition of sugar and fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, currants, etc.) to scones. No sugar in biscuits. But I will make a savory version with the addition of cheese, chives, onions, herbs, ham, etc.....

Ann, I'll take your word about Canadian scones, and it might be true of some American recipes, but the bakery made scones 1500 miles South aren't flaky or light. They're heavier and denser than most muffins, and almost slimy with butter. In the last ten years, the norm has gotten less leaden, but not light by any means. Certainly not flaky enough to break open like the biscuit in your picture. Whereas opening a good biscuit is like releasing dandelion down.

My scone recipe is identical to AnnT's. English scones often have fruit, though dried rather than fresh.

We do have bread muffins, as Plllog says, but the article varies depending on which country in the U.K. it's from. A Scottish muffin isn't the same as an English mffin - I think my head is starting to hurt!!!

Thanks for the explanations. I think our differences are fascinating.

I thought another difference between scones and biscuits is that scones are made with cream, and biscuits are made either with buttermilk or plain milk. Am I wrong?

Sally

Hi - my T&T recipe is from James Beard's 'Beard on Bread' w/ a bit of tweaking. I mostly use plain yoghurt mixed w/ a little water or milk & half butter/half extra virgin olive oil, but duck fat/olive oil is our 2nd fave. & I always pat the dough out on lightly floured waxed paper, rather than rolling.....

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c. flour (may use 1/3 WW pastry,2/3 unbleached)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp bkg pdr

5 Tbsp shortening (butter, oil, schmalz, duck fat)

3/4 c. liquid (yoghurt, buttermilk, milk, sour cream )

1-2 Tbsp. melted butter/marg.

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Blend dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Cut shortening into this mixture.
4. Add liquid, mix well.
5. Turn out onto floured waxed paper & knead 6-8 times to smooth dough.
6. Pat or roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness, cut (do not twist, when cutting) or form biscuits by patting between your hands.
7. Place on glass/enamel pan brushed w/ melted butter.Brush tops w/ rest of melted butter.
8. For soft biscuits, place very close - almost touching ea. other. For crispy biscuits, roll/pat thinner & spread biscuits further apart.

Bake 12-15 minutes

Var: add grated/diced cheese, cracked pepper, seeds, etc.

add 1-2 Tbsp. sugar for shortcakes

Sally, I don't think one can draw such precise lines where words are concerned. There may indeed people who make the richness of the milk the deciding factor, and that may be based on looking at their recipes for each to note the differences, but given that Ann T's (Canadian) biscuit looks like an iconic North American biscuit, and Islay Corbel's (English) scone recipe is identical, I don't think we can draw any line besides geographical.

OTOH, my US South by Southwest notion of a biscuit (that is, passed down by Southern cooks who had migrated to the Southwest) isn't as rich and never has cream in it. Of preference it would be made with buttermilk or sour, cream-removed milk (referring to when they'd remove the cream at home, more or less sour "low fat"). And the scones around here are dead heavy with butter, and probably cream. So making a regional distinction between biscuits and scones based on the the amount of butterfat would make sense. Or, where I am, it's an obvious distinction between feathers and rocks. :) Globally, however, we now have proof that the Venn diagram of biscuit and scone have a healthy intersection where they are, indeed, used to describe identical items.

I make biscuits with cream or buttermilk. Never just milk. And scones usually with cream. But have used buttermilk as well. The difference for me is that scones are sweet.

~Ann

No, Ann-T, scones aren't necessarily sweet. I don't add sugar and nor do many people I know although there are many recipes with a spoonful of sugar in them. I think we get enough sugar from the tons of jam and cream we put on top LOL

I prefer to use buttermilk but will use milk if I don't have any.

But, I've never seen them as a topping for a savoury dish. Can you tell me how you use them?

You know, now that I'm getting used to this forum, I think I prefer it!

Biscuits and scones are both chemically leavened doughs. That's also where the similarity between biscuits and scones generally stops. You can also slip soda bread into the mix, which are scored, not cut, but similar recipes and ingredients.

Much like love, scones are a many splendored thing..... Sweet and savory, and vary from cookie-like to biscuit-like to cakelike in texture. Dropped by the spoonful, or cut into rounds, triangles, squares, circles, hearts, diamonds, or other shapes, including the more common wedges. I cut shamrock-shaped Oat Farls (a traditional Irish Scone - and that's spelled with an "l" not a "t" like you first read the word "farl" ;-) on St. Patrick's Day. All other times I cut them into small wedges (about the size of a biscuit), not the jumbo-sized wedges, which I dislike.

For shiny-topped scones, brush dough with a mixture of egg yolk, or egg white, or whole egg mixed with a tiny bit of water (1/2 to 1 t.). Top the glaze with chopped nuts pressed lightly into the dough before baking, or top with cinnamon-sugar or granulated sugar.

There are also many kinds of biscuits - light, moist biscuits; flakey biscuits; and beaten biscuits (which are like hard tack).

I have a recipe for 'girdle scones' (also James Beard's) - scones made on a griddle & they're very plain - more like a heavy biscuit than a sweet...

Scones or biscuits. Will try all included recipes. Thank you.

What the English call biscuits are called cookies in the U.S. - I learned that from watching Keeping Up With Appearances on PBS. I think that what the English call scones would be called biscuits in the U.S., but I am not sure what American scones would be called in England - possibly muffins or tea cakes. I make round scones similar to Ann_T's, except that mine are round instead of triangular. I also make her biscuit recipe, which had an egg in it when I got it from her, and it was pretty much identical to an English scone recipe.

I would think that scones made on a griddle would be more like crumpets.

No egg in an English scone. I really don't see the difference. A scone can be any shape you choose to cut it.

This Wiki article explains things well and lists all sorts of goodies at the end. Scones and goodies

It looks like a whole book could be written about biscuits and scones. How interesting.

Sally

Many, Sally. Many.

Crumpets are made from a liquidy (almost slippery/snotty-like) batter, rather than a dough, and cooked on a griddle in rings to form them. There are also many leavened "cakes" and scones that are baked on a griddle. Here are recipes from "British and Irish Cooking" from the 'Round the world cooking library. -Grainlady

Currant Cakes
(makes 20-24)

3-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. rice flour*
1 t. salt
1/4 c. sugar
2-1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. currants
1/2 c. cream
3/4 c. milk
2 T. melted butter
In a bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar, baking powder and currants. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and blend into a soft dough. Roll the dough out 1/4" thick on a lightly floured board. Cut into 3-inch rounds and prick all over with a fork. Cook on a hot oiled griddle or frying pan until well-browned. Turn and brown the other side. These are delicious split and toasted or simply buttered and served warm.
[Grainlady note: *Rice flour: You can make your own rice flour by milling rice in a coffee/spice mill. For baked goods, choose medium- or short-grain rice, not long-grain rice.]

Welsh Cakes
(makes 16-20)
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. lard or shortening
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. currants

Sift the flour, baking powder, allspice, salt and sugar together into a bowl. Cut the butter and lard into the flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives. Beat the egg with the milk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and blend well. Blend in the currants. Gather the dough into a ball. Roll out on a floured board 1/4-inch thick. Cut 2 inch rounds and cook on a very hot oiled griddle or frying pan until well browned. Turn and cook on the other side until brown. Serve warm.

Drop Scones
(makes 20)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cream of tartar
2 T. sugar
2 T. butter
1 egg
1 T. golden syrup or light corn syrup
5 T. milk

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and sugar. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives. Beat the egg lightly and add the syrup and milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture. The batter should just drop from a spoon. Let batter stand 15-minutes. Drop the batter from a teaspoon onto a very hot oiled griddle or frying pan. Cook about 3 minutes or until golden brown and turn to brown the other side. Wrap the scones in a clean cloth to keep them soft.

I don't know, Grainlady, you may have ruined crumpets for me with the image of snotty dough.

sally2_gw-

My son (probably about 10-yrs. old at the time) dubbed it "snotty" - and it's a batter, not a dough. Viscous would have been a better choice.

Sourdough crumpets are actually better - MUCH better - than regular crumpets! This recipe is from King Arthur Flour. It's also a good recipe to use when you need to toss out a cup of starter.

SOURDOUGH CRUMPETS
For each cup of sourdough starter, sprinkle over the surface:
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

NOTE: Place in a container with at least 2-times the volume since the soda creates a lot of gasses and increases the volume of the start.

Whisk these ingredients in thoroughly. Spray the crumpet rings with PAM, or grease well. Fill crumpet rings with about 1/4-inch of batter and cook over low heat until the tops are set and full of holes. Remove the rings and flip the crumpets over for a minute or two.

After they have finished cooking in the skillet, place them on a cooling rack in a single layer, do NOT stack crumpets like you would pancakes or they will stick together. To serve, toast until they are brown and crispy (a toaster oven works better than a regular toaster - they sometimes "collapse" in a toaster). Serve with butter and any other topping you like. These also freeze well, but place a barrier between them so they don't stick together.

Grainlady Note: You can add finely chopped herbs and/or finely chopped thin-sliced deli ham to the batter for a brunch crumpet. I also like to add flavorings, like Fiori di Sicilia (a citrus and vanilla-scented flavoring from King Arthur), pineapple, coconut, rum, hazelnut, orange, vanilla, almond flavoring.....

One cup of starter will make 8 crumpets. Hint: If you only have 4 rings, after you have prepared the first four crumpets, turn the rings over and you will have clean and sprayed rings for the second batch on the other half of the rings.

-Grainlady

Aren' 'English Muffins' crumpets?

Me too, Sally2_gw.

Grainlady, I hope you understand my tongue was planted firmly in my cheek.

One of these days I need to get some sour dough started. I haven't done much baking lately, but I'm getting back into the mood again. It must be the snow and ice we've had.

Sally

Crumpets are similar to English muffins, but crumpets are made with a batter that requires a ring to hold it in place while it cooks on a griddle, and English muffins are more like a regular dough that will hold its shape.

I have not yet seen a recipe for English scones that did not have egg in it.

Here's a typical scone recipe :

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 55g/2oz butter
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz milk
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze (alternatively use a little milk)

Crumpets and English muffins aren't the same!!! A muffin is a flat cakey, sweet thing and a crumpet is an inch thick bready savoury-tasting thing that's toasted before it's eaten and slathered in butter.

Crumpets are more like yeasted pancakes that are toasted after they are cooked on the griddle.

CRUMPETS
(Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac Hearth & Home Companion - 1995)
(makes 10)


1/2 c. warm water
1 pkg. (1 scant T.) active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 c. milk
2 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. tepid water

In a large mixing bowl combine warm water and yeast. Add sugar and stir to dissolve yeast. Set aside. In a small saucepan heat /12 cu of the milk and the butter until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in salt and remaining 1/2 c. milk. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Add milk mixture to room temperature. Add milk mixture to yeast mixture and stir to blend. Mix in flour with a wooden spoon. The batter will be very lumpy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and secure with an elastic band. Set aside to rise for 1-1/2 hours or until the bubbling action slows and the mixture begins to collapse in on itself.

Place 4 crumpet rings on a griddle, allowing the sides to touch. Set over medium heat and spray all surfaces (and the rings) with vegetable oil. Dissolve the baking soda in the tepid water and stir into the batter. The batter will be moist and ropy. When the griddle is hot, take up by scant quarter-cupfuls and pour into the rings. Spread to the sides with the back of a spoon. As the batter begins to set, carefully rotate the rings to ensure even cooking.

When the surface of the crumpets is covered with holes and no longer looks wet (about 3-minutes) remove the rings with tongs. Turn the crumpets over and continue cooking for about 1-minute, until the surface is lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the rings and griddle before each batch. Cool crumpets on a wire rack. Toast to serve.

-Grainlady

Robert, what was wrong with the biscuits you posted about in your original post?

Sally

sally2_gw: Nothing was "wrong" with them. They were quite edible but just not nearly as good as others I've made.

Islay Corbel, have you had American 'English Muffins'? They are a yeast-raised non-sweet griddle-baked bread,baked in a ring, often made w/ sourdough, that are split & toasted & served w/ butter & jam like crumpets.

I see.

I have had the store bought "English Muffins" that are shaped like a hockey puck, but bigger, and much softer. Their texture is very holey. They're okay, but I bet real English muffins are much better.

Sally

I haven't checked in for quite a while and had to re-register to do so.

Here's my tried and true recipe for homemade buttermilk biscuits:

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° 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
ungreased baking sheet. Pat to flatten
slightly. Bake for about 13 minutes or
until biscuits are light golden brown. Serve immediately.

Tried & true old Southern recipe

These are served at every Christmas/holiday party/great for a brunch & any type of shower:

6 cups self rising White Lily Flour (WL is the best for making
biscuits)

1&1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup lard, Crisco, or I mix with half butter (yes, lard makes the best
biscuits), very cold

3 cups buttermilk

Melted butter

Preheat your oven to 475 (If you have a fast oven drop temp by 25
degrees)

Sift the flour and salt together, then add the fat and cut in with pastry
cutter or fork until crumbly.

Lightly stir in the buttermilk with a fork, turn out on floured board.
Knead a few times and you can add a lil more four if needed.

Roll out the dough and cut biscuits with a small cutter (1&1/2 -2
inches)

Place on baking sheet and bake about 10 min.

Brush with butter when you take them out of the oven

Serve with thin slices of baked ham or meat. Makes great cocktail
biscuits.

Makes about 2 dozen biscuits, but you can double the recipe.

This is so funny - the differences. I can only go on by what I've eaten as can you all. It shows that as people have travelled and taken their recipes with them things have become altered. Even in Britain, the countries call things by different names. My first husband was Scottish and his mother baked a lot and called things by different names than the ones I had learned, coming from Oxford.

They're all good!

English Muffin recipes (the hockey puck variety) I've made are cut from a yeasted dough, but do NOT require a ring for cooking them on a griddle. The trick to get the signature holey texture is to be sure to keep the dough well-hydrated. You can dip your hands in water periodically while kneading in order to keep the dough wet. I also cut them with a pizza cutter in squares, rather than rounds, because it's faster and you avoid those second-cuts that tend to be tough.

Another tip for making English Muffins.... The recipes often make a large batch and you need a large griddle in order to get them cooked before they over-proof. If you don't have a large griddle (or multiple griddles/pans), be sure to retard the dough or cut muffins in the refrigerator to prevent over-proofing if you only have a small griddle/pan to bake them in.