Yancey Williams
One of my favorite things about living in the South is how much we love our food. We cherish the recipes passed down from our Southern grandmas and are delighted when our friends share their family recipes. So let’s break bread together and greet the day with one of the best loved southern traditions…breakfast with fluffy biscuits hot out of the oven.
What do Cats Heads, Sweet Potato, Cream and Angel have in common? They are all types of southern biscuits. Although variations of biscuits are made throughout the United States, we southerners claim to make the best biscuits!
When we refer to Baking Powder or Buttermilk Biscuits it is true that the best ones are usually found in the Southern United States and there is a good reason for that. The secret is the flour. Flour produced in the South is made with softer winter wheat which makes a more tender, higher rising biscuit.
Yancey Williams
Here are some juicy tidbits that I recently learned about biscuits:
- Everything’s better when it sits on a biscuit…country ham, tomato and bacon, honey, jam, apple butter, sausage or red-eye gravy, even chocolate! Chocolate Gravy on Biscuits – A gravy made with flour, cocoa, sugar, butter, vanilla and milk, best served over hot flaky biscuits in Grandma’s kitchen.
- Cat’s Head Biscuits – biscuits that are “as big as a cat's head”…browned and crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside.
- No dancing while you are making your biscuits! As tempting as it might be, don’t do the twist. Twisting your cutter when making your biscuits will “seal” the edges and your biscuits won’t rise as high. Just punch straight down with the cutter and lift it right back up.
One of the best biscuit makers in our valley is Yancey Williams. You can watch her make some of her fabulous biscuits on YouTube here.
She graciously shared her recipe for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits and she recommends using a local flour: Virginia’s Best Self-Rising Flour.
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Yancey Williams
Makes 10 – 12 biscuits
- 1 stick salted cold butter
- 2 cups self-rising southern flour
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk plus more for brushing over biscuits
Put flour in a medium sized bowl. With a cheese grater, grate cold butter (it can even be frozen) into the flour. With clean hands, stir the butter pieces around in the flour until every piece is coated. Now is the time for any additions!*
Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Add the cold buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon, until just blended.
Tip biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead three or four times. Roll into a rectangle. Roll one third of dough toward the center, then roll the other third toward the center, forming a smaller rectangle. Again, roll into a larger rectangle. Do this several times, which creates layers, which is key to southern style biscuits!
Dip a biscuit cutter into flour, and press the cutter directly down into dough. Do not twist the biscuit cutter!
Place biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet so they are touching. This will help them rise. Brush the tops with buttermilk.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve immediately with plenty of butter!
*Optional additions
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 cup finely chopped ham
- 1 cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 1 handful chopped fresh herbs
- 1 cup chopped green onions
About the Writer:
Following her career in healthcare dining and nutrition management, Becky Ellis followed her passion to create Bubblybee, a champagne and food blog. Her motto is "Don't wait to celebrate! Pop the cork now!" She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative recipes and champagne tasting notes at bubblybee.net and Instagram @cocktails_w_bubblybee.