Nanny’s Hand-Rolled Biscuits

Fresh, hot, just out of the oven, buttered biscuits. I mean really, can life be any better than that? In the South, a biscuit is an accompaniment to any and all meals, not just breakfast. I usually prefer mine with just good ole’ salted butter as does my dad. But others insist on adding some sweet to it too. My mom and brother have always loved to drizzle warm cane syrup over theirs. My husband loves to load his with jelly or jams. No matter how you eat them, they are pretty irresistible.

I’ll give you a little background on biscuit making in my family. This style and method of making hand-rolled biscuits comes from Nanny, my father’s mother. Nanny has always been a fabulous cook. She has a knack for taking very simple and sometimes very little ingredients and turning them into a feast! Biscuits, cornbread, and hoe cake were the main types of breads you would find served on her table. Naturally, my dad became a biscuit fanatic.

The first time Dad brought Mom over to his parents’ house for supper, Pawpaw (grandpa) asked Mom, “So, do ya know how to make biscuits?” She said, “No sir.” My Pawpaw, known for having a rough around the edges type of humor then exclaimed, “BOY! What are you thinkin’, bringin’ home a girl that don’t know how to make no biscuits!?” My mom made it her mission from that moment on that she was going to have to learn how Nanny made her biscuits!

There’s just one problem with the way my Nanny cooks, she never uses recipes. In her raspy southern-draw high pitched voice, I can remember all the times she said, “Baby, I don’t know, you just add your flour, milk and oil together till it looks right”.

Thanks to my dad, we finally have a written recipe of Nanny’s biscuits. He went on a baking spree one weekend and sought to create the most perfect biscuit. To him, it’s one that’s crusty on the outside, but soft and moist on the inside. I still remember laughing so hard when the man that never cooks, brought me a piping hot buttery biscuit to try in bed at about 6:30 in the morning. “I’m a biscuit connoisseur now”, he said, “and I’ve found the perfect one”.

These biscuits really are a snap to make. They require no rolling pin or biscuit cutter although they will leave your hands a little messy. The dough is comprised of four simple ingredients: self-rising flour, oil, milk, and a key ingredient to getting that moisture; mayonnaise.

(Side Note: Nanny did not add mayonnaise to her biscuits because she is allergic to eggs; so if you want to skip it, adjust your flour accordingly.)

The best way I know how to describe a dollop is a heaping soup spoon full. Think about the size of a ping-pong ball in volume. So add your three little dollops of mayo…

Now stir that baby up and give it the rubber spatula test. You’ll want your spatula to be able to stay standing upright in your dough when you jiggle your bowl back and fourth. If it falls, sprinkle in a little more flour until you get it right. Remember, this dough is not to be rolled out with a pin so it will be wet and sticky.

Next you’ll need to prepare a second small bowl to shape your biscuits in. Pour in about 1-2 cups of self-rising flour. My mom always likes to use a bowl with a lid so she can reuse her biscuit shaping flour, since you will have some leftover.

Now, plop a spoon full of your dough straight into your flour. The more you make biscuits, the better you’ll be at estimating what size they will turn out to be. For starters, try using a one-third measuring cup as your scoop.

Once your dough is down, throw some of that biscuit-shaping flour on top of it, roll it around to catch more flour, and shape it in your hands to make the most perfect little hand-rolled biscuit you ever did see.

Then lay each of your biscuits down (touching each other) in a well greased pan, dish, baking sheet, cast iron skillet, or whatever you prefer. Look at you go, you little biscuit making machine…

Pop them in the oven, and just before they’re done take them out and brush on every southerner’s best kitchen accessory: butter. Return these beautiful mounds of glory back into the oven for just another minute or two so they can reach perfection – buttery, crusty goodness.

Finally, my friend you take these biscuits out, serve them hot and be prepared to have your socks knocked off – if you’re wearing any.

And while you are mistakenly thinking that you’ve died and gone to heaven, remember my story…don’t you ever be the one who brought home someone *or the one who went home with someone* who “don’t know how to make no biscuits!”

                                             (My Nanny, making a big batch of biscuits in Mom’s kitchen)

Nanny's Hand-Rolled Biscuits

SarahBeth

Southern Style Buttery Hand Rolled Biscuits

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Breads

Servings 9 biscuits

Ingredients

  

• 2-4 cups self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup milk
• 3 dollops mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons melted butter salted

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• In a medium sized mixing bowl fold 2 cups of flour, oil, milk, and mayonnaise together, just until combined.
• In a second smaller sized bowl, put in 1-2 cups of flour.
• Drop approximately 1/3 cup of dough in bowl of flour. Cover generously with flour, roll and shape with hands into flat rounds. For best results, shape biscuits to be around 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter.
• Place biscuits with sides touching in desired well-greased baking pan.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Just before finished, brush melted butter on tops of biscuits and return to oven for 1 or 2 additional minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!