Making Southern Style Biscuits and Bullets

[michiganmike]

I was looking for a better recipe that would make my baking powder biscuits lighter and higher. I came across a recipe from a woman who tried and succeeded in replicating the biscuits her husband ate at his Grandma's table in rural Tennessee. Her secret: kitchen time.

A lot of the posts I read seem to be looking for that one secret that will help them, especially the newcomer to the art of bullet casting, unlock the secret to making the perfect bullet. Like making biscuits, I think one of the primary secrets is the caster's version of kitchen time. Let's call it casting time.

I've been casting for several years and still have a lot to learn. And I have learned a lot from my fellow casters on this site. I have found that there is no substitute for casting time. Time spent at my bench with my moulds, my alloy, my pot, in my shop. Picking up the cues from the mould, the alloy, the bullets that drop from the mould - all tell what I need to do on that given occasion to make the bullet I want.

Kitchen time - casting time. What do you think?

She wrote:

"My husband has a memory of his Southern grandmother who madebiscuits every day of her life. He remembers well the visits to the farmhousein East Tennessee, sleeping in a feather bed under six or eight quilts, wakingup to fluffy biscuits made on a wood burning stove, served with homemade pearhoney and apple butter. There is this myth that our Southern grandmother’s came out ofthe womb making biscuits and pie dough from scratch without a recipe and theyalways came out perfect. The truth is that they started very young, had instruction andlearned a little more every day. Baking fluffy biscuits or flaky pie doughbecame second nature just as walking and talking. During their childhood, theyweren’t stressed in the kitchen trying to reinvent the wheel. They were pickingup cues about flour, shortening and milk and how to balance them out, only theydidn’t know it at the time. It was simplykitchen time with good smells and the excitement ofa hot biscuit with jam or honey only fifteen minutes away. So I did some kitchen time to uncrack the mystery of the Southern Fluffy Biscuit. It’s not the recipe as much as it is the technique… " If you want the recipe, go to http://spinachtiger.com/my-best-homemade-fluffy-southern-biscuit-recipe-for-my-southern-husband/ I plan on making some tonight!

[Victor N TN]

I always tell people I used to be related to 3 of the best biscuit makers in our county. My mom made biscuits every Saturday. I used to think she made a 5 gallon bucket full of biscuits every week. But that might be an exaggeration.

My mother-in-law made heavenly biscuits. Not the same as my Mom. But very good if slightly different.

When we got married my wife was the oldest child. So she had to do the cooking when her Mom was at work. Until she started buying the frozen in a bag biscuits, she could make the best biscuits I had ever put jelly on and slid in my mouth. Now she doesn't ACTUALLY make biscuits any more. She buys the frozen ones and doctors them up a bit.

I hope you enjoy the biscuits.

[William Yanda]

My mom could be taking fresh biscuits out of the oven 13 minutes after the family arrived home from Sunday morning church services. By then, we kids had the table set and were ready for dinner.

[w5pv]

My mother baked a pan of biscuits for us and a pan of cornbread for us and the dogs.For breakfast she cooked eggs,bacon and biscuits and then for dinner she added cornbread.Sometimes we would have milk gravy but not all that often.Loved Salt Bacon and ribbon cane syrup

[Blackwater]

Great post, Mike, but it also takes good observation, too. Time spent simply repeating what we've always done is just repetition doesn't help anything. Add in observation and continuing analysis, NOW you're "cookin' with grease!" But it's still a great post, and one all the newer casters really need to heed.

When I started, I didn't have the good advice available here, just what I'd read, and a will and determination to learn. All I really HAD was the will, determination, and observation and analysis to go on. And it wasn't long before I was turning out some pretty darn decent bullets. As a young vet going to college, I could never have shot like I did had I not been a caster.

Back then, I got most of my WW's for free, and cast on my stove in the mobile home we lived in for a while. Looking back, those were really pretty good times, too! Learning new stuff, trying to build something decent ... how could it not have been?

And sooner or later, we all develop the habit of observation and analysis, or we basically become rote followers of pat "rules" that often seem to let us down. Even rules require some judgment calls! Great post!

[Tatume]

My grandmother made stacks of biscuits every morning, in a wood fired oven. One plate full of fresh, hot, delicious biscuits was thrown out the back door for the cats, who came running for them. The rest were for us.

My Mom made the best crab cakes in the world. I've never had a crab cake that came close, in Maryland or Virginia!

[Ken in Iowa]

My mouth is watering.

Practice makes perfect!

[michiganmike]

Thank you all for the posts. While my post was primarily about the need for "casting time" and learning the art of bullet making - these are great biscuits. I made a batch for supper. Light, fluffy, tasty. I had them warm from the oven with butter and cherry butter. Mmmmm mmmmm good! If you like good biscuits - these are great. Just follow the URL in my post.

And like making great biscuits requires kitchen time, making great bullets requires casting time. And as Blackwater astutely added - observation and analysis. 174449
This is how I made mine - in a 12" cast iron frying pan.

[DerekP Houston]

practice indeed makes perfect. Just takes time and willingness to try. Those look delicious michiganmike!

[762 shooter]

A word to the wise.

Southern Biscuit Formula L.

Google that and eat happy.

762

[Bzcraig]

practice indeed makes perfect. Just takes time and willingness to try. Those look delicious michiganmike!

Brother Derek speaks the truth here!!!

[bullseye67]

MMMMMMM..Biscuits are my favorite. PERIOD. Better than crepes, pancakes, toast you name it! Biscuits and eggs with bacon and strawberry or any other jam. Biscuits with chilli, stew or as a topper on meat pie. On the farm we had 4-6 hired men and they were always happy when they were called to work for my Dad. The first thing they would ask if my Mother would still have biscuits once a day again this season. My Dad claimed the men came to work, not for the pay, but for the food.
I have posted how I learned to cast before, so I will just put a quick note about casting. One of the older guys in the community was a target shooter and cast boolits and reloaded. Somehow the parents and principal at our school convinced him to teach a group of us boys how to reload and shoot handguns. The first thing he taught us was casting .38 WC with a pot, ladle and a 1 cavity mold, We spent a lot of time learning how to get the torch set for temp. and how the lead should pour like water into the mold. How a poor pour made a poor boolit. We would only get to reload what we cast and he was a stickler about boolit quality. Some Saturdays we had really short shooting lessons. When I think back all the lessons I learned from that time, really are like learning to cook, weld, pound a nail, cut a board straight with a hand saw, really any skill in life. Well taught by a good coach/mentor the skills last a life time........Good casting and Good biscuits YUMMMMM YUMMMMM.

[varmintpopper]

7 UP Biscuits

4 cups Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7 UP
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7UP.
Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet.
Put 1/2 inch thick shaped biscuits in cookie sheet.
Bake at 425 until golden brown.

Enjoy

[mdi]

A lot of the posts I read seem to be looking for that one secret that will help them, especially the newcomer to the art of bullet casting, unlock the secret to making the perfect bullet. Like making biscuits, I think one of the primary secrets is the caster's version of kitchen time. Let's call it casting time.

No biscuit memories, recipes, or famous biscuit quotes here, but for the bullet casting part of the OP; I've heard is said many times, "The only way to learn to cast bullets, is to cast bullets...".

[Victor N TN]

No biscuit memories, recipes, or famous biscuit quotes here, but for the bullet casting part of the OP; I've heard is said many times, "The only way to learn to cast bullets, is to cast bullets...".

Very good explanation...

[flint45]

I dont know why but Iam very hungry and want to cast sum boolits! I think biscuits with butter and honey would be goooood:rolleyes:

[dondiego]

I am baking home made bread as we speak. Sure wish I could reproduce my grandma's cathead biscuits that she baked o a wood burner every morning when I lived in Texas. My mother, the oldest sister of 12 siblings, has severe Alzheimer's and I never got the recipe.

[T-Bird]

Been on a "healthier eating" kick for the last 2 years but when I sold my veterinary practice in '08 I said I wanted to learn to make biscuits, cheese straws, and fry chicken (not fingers). Did all of these things-very well. Both me and my wife were, let's say "growing" as a result of this success.I have recently lost about 30lb (blood pressure down) haven't made biscuits in a good while and thanks to this thread, I'll be making them in the morning. Y'all flung a cravin' on me! shoot straight, T-Bird