Happy Biscuit Day! Celebrate the day by sharing your favorite biscuit recipe or place to go to enjoy a good biscuit on the South Lake Tablet’s Facebook page.
Biscuits came about shortly before the Civil War, and were inexpensive, in part because they didn’t require yeast. They were able to expand and rise because their ingredients were beaten vigorously and because they were folded in such a way so that air could be trapped in them. Biscuits also were favored because they could be made quickly and could be easily added to meals. They also caught on because they were better than bread at absorbing gravy.
Having a soft interior with a slightly browned crust, biscuits are commonly made with flour, baking powder, salt, buttermilk or milk, butter or shortening, and sometimes sugar. Biscuits became more prominent in the Southern United States, in part because the flour from the South is made from soft winter wheat, which has less protein than Northern flours, and is better suited for biscuits.
Biscuits can be eaten on their own or used in many recipes, such as biscuits and gravy, casseroles, and chicken and biscuits. They can be made to fit with almost any type of meal and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In 1931, Ballard and Ballard introduced refrigerated ready-to-bake biscuits that came in a cardboard can, meaning that biscuits no longer had to all be made from scratch.
Information provided by Checkiday
