Angel Biscuits

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• They’re incredibly light and fluffy, with a tender texture that practically melts in your mouth.
• The use of shortening and buttermilk makes them rich and flavorful.
• The dough can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks allowing you to have freshly baked biscuits whenever you wish.

🛒 Ingredient Notes

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• Shortening (Crisco Recommended): Shortening, such as Crisco, contributes to the biscuits’ tenderness and helps create a light interior texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness and activates the yeast.
• Buttermilk: Gives the dough a slight tang-the biscuits’ signature flavor.
• Dry Yeast: Makes the biscuits rise and adds to the airy texture.
• All-Purpose Flour (White Lily Recommended): White Lily is a southern flour known for its softness. It’s made from soft winter wheat, making it my choice for achieving perfect results in baked goods.

🥄 How to Make Angel Biscuits

1. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine shortening, sugar, and buttermilk. Stir until the shortening melts and the mixture is just lukewarm.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle the dry yeast over the liquid mixture, and stir until well blended. Set aside.

👉 PRO TIP: Unlike yeast bread recipes, this preparation doesn’t require the use of warm water to dissolve the yeast; it’s sprinkled directly over the warm shortening, sugar, and buttermilk combination. Just make sure that the liquids are not too hot! They should be between 105 and 115 degrees to avoid killing the yeast.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
4. Gradually mix the wet ingredients and the flour mixture, stirring just until a dough forms

👉 PRO TIP: Take care not to overwork the dough. Handle the dough as little and as gently as possible. Overworked dough can result in dense, dry biscuits.

5. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.

👉 PRO TIP: The dough may be held at this point for up to two weeks before baking. Yes, you read that correctly–two WEEKS!

6. When it’s time to bake, grease a baking pan (a cake pan, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or glass baking dish all work equally well) and set it aside.
7. Take a portion of the chilled dough (about ¼ of the total) and gently knead it a few times on a floured surface. Roll or pat it to a thickness of about ¾-inch.

👉 PRO TIP: This recipe yields a total of about 4 dozen rolls, so ¼ of the dough will make a pan of a dozen biscuits. If you want to bake more, simply repeat with a second, third, or fourth pan or use a baking sheet instead.

8. Cut out biscuits using a small biscuit cutter or shape them by hand.

👉 PRO TIP: Angel Biscuits are typically smaller than breakfast biscuits. I normally use a 2-inch biscuit cutter for them. 

9. Arrange the biscuits with the cut sides touching in the prepared pan or dish.
10. Lightly cover the rolls and let them rise for approximately 30 minutes.
11. Just before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

12. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and brush the freshly baked biscuits with melted butter. Cool briefly before serving.

👉 PRO TIP: You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 14 days and use it as needed.

❗ Tips for Cutting Out Biscuits

• For a fluffy biscuit, you’ll want to get a nice, clean cut with the biscuit cutter by pushing it straight down in the dough and lifting it straight up. Don’t twist the cutter in the dough, as that can seal the cut edges and prevent the dough from rising as much as it otherwise would.
• Dip the cutter in flour in between cutting each biscuit.
• If the dough is a little wet for easy handling, move the cut biscuits using a thin spatula.

⚠️ Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common issues and their solutions.

• Dough too sticky: Add a tiny amount (no more than 1 tablespoon at a time) of additional flour while kneading.
• Biscuits not rising: Make sure the yeast is fresh, and let the dough rise longer if needed.
• Biscuits too dense: Be gentle when handling the dough, and don’t overmix the ingredients.

🔀 Recipe Variations

• Cheesy Angel Biscuits: Mix in grated cheddar or Parmesan cheese.
• Herb-Infused: Add chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or chives.
• Sweet Delights: Use the dough to make sweet pull-apart rolls sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

🍽️ How to Serve

Enjoy these biscuits on your dinner table warm from the oven with fresh homemade butter. They pair perfectly with almost any meal. 

• Southern Breakfast: Serve with steak and eggs, cheese grits, and shrimp and grits or sausage gravy.
• Holiday Feast: Include them as part of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu.
• Sunday Roast: Delicious with a slow cooked beef roast or red wine beef stew.
• Brunch Bliss: Accompany them with honey, jam, or fruit preserves as part of a weekend brunch.

🍚 How to Store

To keep the biscuits fresh, store any leftovers in an airtight container or resealable bag. They’ll keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.

For longer storage, freeze them and reheat them in the oven when needed. To bring back that fresh-out-of-the-oven goodness, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, wrap the biscuits in foil, and warm them for about 10 minutes. You can also use a microwave, but the oven method retains the original texture better.

📖 Recipe

Angel Biscuits

My fluffy Angel Biscuits are the perfect cross between biscuits and dinner rolls. With both buttermilk and yeast, they make a heavenly bread.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Inactive Time:: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 48 rolls

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup shortening Crisco recommended
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 2 packages dry yeast
• ▢ 5 cups all-purpose flour White Lily recommended
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 4 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

• In a large saucepan over low heat, combine shortening, sugar, and buttermilk. Stir until the shortening melts and the mixture is just lukewarm.
• Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle the dry yeast over the liquid mixture, and stir until well blended. Set aside.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
• Gradually mix the wet ingredients and the flour mixture, stirring just until a dough forms.
• Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.
• When it's time to bake, grease a baking pan (a cake pan, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or glass baking dish all work well) and set it aside.
• Take a portion of the chilled dough (about ¼ of the total) and gently knead it a few times on a floured surface. Roll or pat it to a thickness of about ¾-inch.
• Cut out biscuits using a small biscuit cutter or shape them by hand.
• Arrange the biscuits with the cut sides touching in the prepared pan or dish.
• Lightly cover the rolls and let them rise for approximately 30 minutes.
• Just before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and brush the freshly baked biscuits with melted butter. Cool briefly before serving.

Notes

• Please see the many tips included in the post for more information.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container or resealable bag. They’ll keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
• May also be frozen in an airtight container. Reheat in a 350 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 106kcal | Carbohydrates 12g | Protein 2g | Fat 6g | Saturated Fat 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat 1g | Monounsaturated Fat 2g | Trans Fat 1g | Cholesterol 4mg | Sodium 159mg | Potassium 29mg | Fiber 0.4g | Sugar 2g | Vitamin A 48IU | Calcium 30mg | Iron 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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