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Main Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: just Warren on November 05, 2019, 01:14:34 AM

Title: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: just Warren on November 05, 2019, 01:14:34 AM
If you don't live in the south. (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-most-of-america-is-terrible-at-making-biscuits)

You can maybe make a profitable business out of selling the flour online or, if the biscuits are really that much better, starting a little biscuit shop or a restaurant that features these biscuits that appeals to displaced southerners.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 05, 2019, 07:49:42 AM
Cake flour is also soft wheat flour, I can find that locally.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 05, 2019, 08:30:50 AM
I think this has been posted before, or something very much like it.

I know that for years the gold standard for a lot of people for biscuits was White Lily. I always thought it was something of a sham until I actually started using it once I moved to Virginia and I discovered that for some things the lower protein does make a HUGE difference.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 05, 2019, 10:10:01 AM
Had no idea White Lily even existed. Bob's Red Mill has pastry flour made with soft white. Hard to find and spendy but worth it.

Brad
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: French G. on November 05, 2019, 12:58:07 PM
I do miss the simple days of yes I have flour. Now it's more like let's see if I have enough of any of the six varieties I just have to have.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 05, 2019, 01:19:23 PM
About a decade ago White Lily was sold to a larger food conglomerate and the traditional mill was shut down. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18flour.html

Within a few months people began to scream bloody murder that the milling wasn't the same and their heirloom recipes were getting screwed up because of it.

Google white lily flour controversy if you want to read some interesting stuff...


I used to use it to make my family's traditional pot pie recipe, and it really did make a difference.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 05, 2019, 01:45:36 PM
And you can make your own self raising flour
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 05, 2019, 01:54:05 PM
And you can make your own self raising flour

That's being very selfless of you, raising that...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: BobR on November 05, 2019, 02:22:57 PM
And you can make your own self raising flour

Do you have to wait three days for it to raise? ;)



bob
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 05, 2019, 02:30:37 PM
That's being very selfless of you, raising that...  :facepalm:

Spell check and I had a fight, spell check won. Wouldn't let me rise to the occasion
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 05, 2019, 05:57:46 PM
check mate, fyi

(https://www.britishessentials.hk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/0/107782938_10.jpg)
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 05, 2019, 07:20:48 PM
Da fuq you trying to pull, Brit Boy?

 :rofl: :rofl:
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 05, 2019, 09:10:13 PM
Da fuq you trying to pull, Brit Boy?

 :rofl: :rofl:

Go play with your spice weasel.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 06, 2019, 07:58:47 AM
Shouldn't you be spelling that Spuiceu UWeausel?

And, apparently, British self-raising flour and American self-rising flour are not analogs.

Apparently the British version has more baking powder, and the American version has less baking powder and added salt.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 06, 2019, 07:59:18 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaxpbnNgiFM
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Ron on November 06, 2019, 02:07:13 PM
Is Lily's sifted like Swans Down Cake Flour?
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 06, 2019, 03:14:20 PM
No. White Lily is a soft winter wheat all purpose flour.

You can make cakes with it, but Swann's is even more finely ground, is, I believe, bleached, and has, I think even less protein.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Perd Hapley on November 06, 2019, 11:21:38 PM
English muffins or gtfo.  :P
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: charby on November 06, 2019, 11:33:39 PM
English muffins or gtfo.  :P

Do you have a recipe for homemade English muffins?
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Perd Hapley on November 06, 2019, 11:46:03 PM
Do you have a recipe for homemade English muffins?

I have Google.  =)
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: zxcvbob on November 07, 2019, 01:08:36 AM
Years ago, I could buy low-protein cake and pastry flour at Sam's Club in 25 lb bags for just a few dollars.  (25 lbs lasts a long time, but it's not really perishable if you keep it dry)  That made good biscuits.  They still sell (last time I checked) all-purpose flour and bread flour but they've dropped the cake flour.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 07, 2019, 07:26:56 AM
If you can find a cake or baking supply wholesaler in your area you can normally get flour there, as well.

Back when I was making all my own bread I was buying bread flour in 25 pound bags from Costco. I had a big sealed storage canister for it. A bag would last me 4 to 6 months, depending on how much bread I was making.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 07, 2019, 07:27:51 AM
Here's Alton Brown's English Muffin recipe. It's supposed to be good, but I've never tried it.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/english-muffins-recipe-1953408
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Ron on November 07, 2019, 08:50:06 AM
No. White Lily is a soft winter wheat all purpose flour.

You can make cakes with it, but Swann's is even more finely ground, is, I believe, bleached, and has, I think even less protein.

Thanks
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 07, 2019, 09:20:49 AM

Back when I was making all my own bread I was buying bread flour in 25 pound bags from Costco. I had a big sealed storage canister for it. A bag would last me 4 to 6 months, depending on how much bread I was making.


I was doing the same, though sourcing from Sam's Club. I parceled the flour into gallon ZipLock bags and kept extras in the freezer.

Brad
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: K Frame on November 07, 2019, 09:27:00 AM
OK, it looks like I was wrong. Swan's Down and White Lily both have 8 grams of protein per cup, but I do know that Swan's is more finely milled.

King Arthur also has a low protein cake flour.
Title: Re: Why your biscuits suck.
Post by: Hawkmoon on November 14, 2019, 11:07:21 PM
King Arthur was the only flour my mother would use. Among other pluses (in her estimation) was the fact that King Arthur flour is (or was) unbleached.