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Ever wanted to learn how to make biscuits like great-grandma? This sour cream biscuit recipe is straight from the 1940's, when folks knew how to stretch ingredients and what they had to make a meal. And, after all, who can resist a fresh-baked biscuit?
Especially when there are so many ways to eat homemade biscuits: for breakfast topped with preserves, served alongside soup or stew for dinner, cut in half and toasted with cheese, or, of course, topped with fresh berries and whipped cream for a delicious dessert! The humble biscuit was the star of almost every meal.
I discovered this recipe among my great-grandmother's recipe collection, taken from a drugstore pamphlet dated 1948. The small amount of butter used and lack of sugar are quite possibly a reflection of the rationing that would have been a regular part of life in the years prior.
The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but the recipe also adapts well to both spelt and gluten-free versions. If you are used to a sweeter biscuit, or plan on using the biscuits for dessert, a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey is easily added in with the sour cream. If using maple syrup or honey, add a little less sour cream to make up the difference in moisture. This is abiscuit recipe with butter though you can substitute coconut oil if you're dairy free.
One of the things you'll find in older recipes is real cultured items. Cultured sour cream would keep much longer than regular milk, especially if you didn't have a refrigerator, and many recipes would use sour cream or buttermilk. Though the sour cream does mean these contain dairy, this recipe shows youhow to make biscuits without milk, aka milk free biscuits.
Great-Grandma's Sour Cream Biscuit Recipe (1948)
2 cups all-purpose flour, gluten-free flour blend, or spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1 cup sour cream
1 – 6 tsp sugar, maple syrup, or honey (optional)
additional sour cream or milk, if needed
1/2 tbsp butter
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in butter or coconut oil until the mixture looks crumbly.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the sour cream, mixed with sugar, honey, or maple syrup (if using). Stir lightly until the dough comes together. If the dough is dry, add more sour cream or milk, a tsp at a time, as needed.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in butter or coconut oil until the mixture looks crumbly.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the sour cream, mixed with sugar, honey, or maple syrup (if using). Stir lightly until the dough comes together. If the dough is dry, add more sour cream or milk, a tsp at a time, as needed.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently about 20 times.
Roll out until 1/2″ thick. Cut out biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter and place on greased baking tray.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
Brush with melted butter. Serve warm.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Biscuits will keep for several days, on the counter, in an airtight container. There you have it, how to make biscuitswith great-grandma's easy sour cream biscuit recipe from the 1940's. Have you ever made sour cream biscuits before?
“… beaten biscuits are what people made in the days before baking soda and baking powder was around. In order to get the biscuits to rise, cooks would beat the dough with a mallet, rolling pin, or even an ax for over half an hour util it blistered.”
Whisk together one cup of cream and one teaspoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice in a clean mason jar. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then add ¼ cup of whole milk. Stir well to combine. Cover the jar with a lid or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band, and let it sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
The earliest surviving example of a biscuit is from 1784, and it is a ship's biscuit. They were renowned for their inedibility, and were so indestructible that some sailors used them as postcards.
Pizzelle, also known as Italian wafer cookies, in The Complete Collection of Biscuit Types are the oldest known biscuits. Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy.
Just as important as the fat is the liquid used to make your biscuits. Our Buttermilk Biscuit recipe offers the choice of using milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk is known for making biscuits tender and adding a zippy tang, so we used that for this test.
The principal ingredients of biscuit dough are soft wheat flour, sugar, fat, and water. They are mixed with other minor ingredients (such as baking powder, skimmed milk, emulsifier, and sodium metabisulphite) to form dough containing a well- developed gluten network.
The biscuit making process is elaborate and continuous. The ingredients are combined to form a dough, which is kneaded and rolled to a uniform thickness.It is cut into biscuit shapes and placed in a travelling oven. Some biscuits necessitate special preparation and cooking methods.
The basic formula is as follows: 2 cups AP flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup milk—and the add-in(s) of your choice. I'm giving you two savory options. The red is a sun-dried tomato and cheddar biscuit with paprika and a touch of cayenne.
Mixing. The multi-stage mixing method is preferred for its ability to produce consistent doughs which are not fully developed. Blending all dry ingredients to rub or cut the shortening into the flour until fat is fully distributed and pea-sized lumps are visible.
The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.
The Facts. Early versions of sour cream were created when fresh milk was left to sit at room temperature and the cream rose to the surface. Naturally occurring bacteria soured it.
Commercial cultured sour cream is made by adding lactic acid cultures to heavy cream, giving it a thick texture and tangy flavor. Homemade sour cream requires just two ingredients: heavy cream and an acid, like freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream.
What makes biscuits Southern? Besides being passed down by beloved grandmothers, Southern biscuits are typically made with flour made from soft red winter wheat, such as White Lily.
For cakes and muffins, another easy baking soda substitute is egg whites, says Lofts. They can act as a leavener, which is what they do in a classic French Genoise cake. It's best to use this substitute only for cookie recipes or baked goods that do not contain any liquid.
The biscuit making process is elaborate and continuous. The ingredients are combined to form a dough, which is kneaded and rolled to a uniform thickness.It is cut into biscuit shapes and placed in a travelling oven. Some biscuits necessitate special preparation and cooking methods.
The Old French word bescuit is derived from the Latin words bis (twice) and coquere, coctus (to cook, cooked), and, hence, means "twice-cooked". This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven.
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