Self-Rising Biscuits

This is a very old, very easy biscuit recipe for those times you don’t have a second to waste. They’re sometimes called Southern Biscuits, sometimes called Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, sometimes called 3-Ingredient Biscuits (even though, if you add salt, there are four!)…but I know them as Self-Rising Biscuits, because self-rising flour is, of course, the star of the show.

 

Now, the original recipe calls for buttermilk, but of course, I never have any buttermilk in my fridge. So I made my own by measuring close to the amount of milk I needed…

 

 

 

Adding white vinegar…

 

 

 

Stirring it together, and letting it sit.

 

 

 

The simplicity of the dry ingredients is what makes this biscuit recipe such a winner: It’s just self-rising flour…

 

 

 

And salt!

Important Note: If you wind up using cold salted butter instead of shortening or lard (see below), you can either omit the salt entirely or just add about 1/2 teaspoon instead.

 

 

 

Just scoop it in batches into a sifter…

 

 

 

And sift it all together.

 

 

 

Now it’s time to play another round of Choose! Your! Fat! You can use cold butter (delicious), vegetable shortening (it’ll do), or—take a deep breath—lard. I’m using lard, but a mixture of lard and butter (or shortening and butter) is a good compromise, too.

(You can buy little tubs or boxes of lard at most supermarkets.)

 

 

 

Throw in the fat…

 

 

 

And use a pastry cutter to mix it all together.

 

 

 

Now, after sitting for a few minutes, the milk has become buttermilk! It’s one of my favorite shortcuts. And actually, it isn’t even a shortcut. It takes longer than just pulling a jug of buttermilk out of the fridge. But then again, it takes longer for me to drive to dang town and get a dang gallon of dang buttermilk than it does for me to mix milk and vinegar together.

So as I was saying, it’s one of my favorite shortcuts.

 

 

 

Just drizzle it in, slowly stirring…

 

 

 

Until it all comes together. You’ll immediately see a little difference in the dough because of all the magic of the self-rising flour. So easy!

 

 

 

As soon as it comes together, turn out the dough onto a floured surface…

 

 

 

And knead it about 10 to 15 times (sprinkle on some flour if you need to) so it will come together in a ball.

 

 

 

Then just roll it out! How thick you roll it really depends on how high you want the biscuits; they will rise pretty rapidly in the oven, so if you cut them too thick, they might be a little too high! Too thin, though, and you’ll stunt their growth. So about 1/3 to 1/2 inch is probably good!

 

 

 

I used a mini cutter, but of course, you can do any size of biscuit you want.

 

 

 

Just cut them as close together as you can…

 

 

 

And get them onto a pan.

 

 

 

I also used a fluted cutter, just for kicks.

 

 

 

Cute!

 

 

 

They go into a really hot oven—about 475—and don’t take long to bake, of course. How long they bake depends entirely on the size of the biscuits, so start at about 8 to 10 minutes for mini biscuits and work your way up from there.

 

 

 

Aren’t they lovely?

But just one thing…

 

 

 

They are begging for melted butter.

 

 

 

Just slather the tops generously; this is not the time to practice restraint!

 

 

 

Oh, my dear goodness. So phenomenally easy and so delicious. If you need biscuits in a hurry, this recipe is the way to go!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

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Recipe
Self-Rising Biscuits

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 24



Print Recipe

Ingredients
2-1/3 cups Whole Milk3 Tablespoons White Distilled Vinegar6 cups Self-rising Flour, Plus More For Kneading1-1/2 teaspoon Salt3/4 cups Lard (OR Butter OR Shortening OR A Combination) Melted Salted Butter, For Brushing Preparation Instructions

(Important note: You may substitute 2 1/2 cups buttermilk for the milk/vinegar mixture.)

(Important note #2: If you use salted butter instead of shortening/lard, decrease the amount of salt you add.)

Preheat the oven to 475 F.

In a measuring pitcher, combine milk and vinegar. Stir together and set aside for 10 minutes. Note: You can use 2 1/2 cups buttermilk instead of the milk and vinegar if you have some on hand.

In a large bowl sift together the flour and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the lard (or butter or shortening or both) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring gently with a fork or wooden spoon until it all comes together. Flour the surface, then turn out the dough and knead 10-15 times, adding a little flour so it's less sticky.

Roll out dough to 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick and use a biscuit cutter to cut medium to small circles. Place on a baking sheet 1/2 inch apart and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and immediately brush on melted butter. To die for!

***Baking time will vary depending on the size of the biscuit cutter you use. I made mini biscuits, which took about 9 to 10 minutes. Larger biscuits will take longer, so keep an eye on them as they bake.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on October 15 2014