South Georgia Biscuits

These are traditional hand-formed South Georgia biscuits as made by my family for generations. Unlike most recipes, these biscuits are formed entirely by hand, not rolled and cut. Once you master the technique, you can make them very quickly and will find the texture and appearance to be much better than rolled biscuits.

Step: 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step: 2

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or by rubbing between your fingers until the lumps are smaller than peas. Pour in the milk all at once, and stir with a large spoon until dough is evenly moist. It should be sticky.

Step: 3

Flour your hands, and knead the dough lightly for 3 or 4 turns, adding just enough flour so that it doesn’t stick to your hands. Let the dough rest for a minute or two.

Step: 4

With well-floured hands, pinch off pieces of dough (about 12) and pat lightly into balls. Don’t over work the dough. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With floured knuckles, press each ball down to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Step: 5

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until browned on the bottom. Serve hot with butter.

Per Serving: 183 calories; protein 3.3g; carbohydrates 21g; fat 9.5g; cholesterol 2mg; sodium 286.4mg.

The best flavour of the flour could make a real deal to your bread. Different makers do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a best rise than standard dough flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which not always rise as well as white bread.

To made this in a dough , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the makers instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be done in the fridge overnight . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.