How to Make Tea Biscuits from Scratch

Buttered biscuits and preserves are a Southern staple at breakfast.

Slap some country ham and jam between these petite, buttery biscuits for the flavor of a down-home breakfast in the South. These tender biscuits are ideally sized to be topped with fresh smoked sausage patties or served with a side of butter and homemade preserves.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups biscuit mix
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 1 stick of margarine or butter, cold
• Large mixing bowl
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Oven mitts
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Rolling pin
• Baking pan

Instructions

1. Dump the flour and the baking mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the baking powder and blend with a fork. Place one stick of cold margarine or butter in the bowl. With clean hands, grind the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Wash and dry your hands.

2. Slowly pour 1 1/2 cups of milk into the dough mixture and stir slightly with a fork until the mixture forms a large dough ball. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour until the dough is no longer sticky and forms a smooth ball.

3. Lightly flour a clean countertop or cutting board. Pick up the ball of dough and place it on the floured surface. Sprinkle a small handful of flour onto the dough ball and begin to press it out flat. Once the dough ball is flattened, turn it over and lightly sprinkle flour on the other side.

4. Use the heel of your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the dough to approximately 1 1/4-inch thickness. Do not over-handle the dough. Use the lid of the cooking spray as a pastry cutter and cut 2-inch circles in the dough, forming tea biscuits. Place the biscuits 1/2 inch apart on a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

5. Use the scraps of dough to make additional biscuits by pressing the scraps into a ball and repeating steps 2, 3 and 4. This recipe makes approximately 16 to 20 biscuits.

6. Bake the biscuits in a 400 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown. Put on the oven mitts and remove the biscuits from the oven. Allow the biscuits to cool, and brush the top of each biscuit with melted butter. Serve warm.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not over-stir the mixture when adding the milk.

• Handle the dough as little as you can, turning the dough only once or twice if possible. Handling the dough too much will result in hard biscuits.

• Lightly handling and flouring the dough results in light, tender biscuits.

• Half a cup of buttermilk may be substituted for 1/2 cup of fresh milk if buttermilk biscuits are desired. Buttermilk biscuits are slightly richer and more dense than traditional flour biscuits.

• Dipping the edge of the cutter into the flour will prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter and will allow the biscuits to freely release from the cutter. Wash the cutter with warm soap and water before replacing the lid on the cooking spray.

• Always wear oven mitts when handling hot objects.

References

• Prize Winning Tea Biscuits