What is the secret of baking powder biscuits?

[Paper Roses]

I follow the recipe, roll out to the suggested 1/2 inch thickness and when they come out of the oven, they are still 1/2 inches. Why do they not rise? My baking powder is fresh.
Just took out a batch and they taste great but are still thin. How do I make those nice, fat ones I see pictured?

[TexasProgresive]

1. I don't know the secret but I like thin bisquits with an nice crisp brown top and bottom. n/t

[sharp_stick]

2. Are you cutting in cold butter?

I find that if the butter is allowed to warm up or if I handle the dough by hand too much and the butter warms up the biscuits don't fluff up.

Another option you can try, and one that my kids really like is using an extra 1/4 cup or so of buttermilk and dropping them onto the baking sheet rather than rolling them out. Nice and crispy on the outside and soft inside. This also makes a really good topping for chicken pot pie.

[izquierdista]

3. Bad batch?

You can test if your baking powder is flat with a drop of vinegar. If a few drops of vinegar doesn't make the baking powder foam up, then it has chemically decomposed and will not make your dough rise. It could have gotten hot or moist (or both) during shipment and already reacted so there is no more CO2 to form and make your biscuits rise.

[Lucinda]

8. Great tip! I'll remember this.

Thankie!

[DrDan]

4. how old is your baking powder

I make them weekly and always get a good rise . . . maybe double

[tridim]

5. Acid, which is why pseudo-buttermilk works well. It reacts with the baking soda in baking powder.

They also don't rise correctly if the oven temp is too high. The outside will set before they have a chance to rise.

And also, don't knead biscuit dough. Just mix it quickly, dump on the counter and fold over twice. Gluten is bad for biscuits.

[pkdu]

6. DrDan has it I think.... my MIL had 6 year old Baking Power and wondered why her baking wasnt rising

[housewolf]

7. Wanna post your recipe?

There might be clue there

[grasswire]

9. what are you using for a cutter?

If you use a jelly glass or something like that, it can squish down the edges of the dough and then it doesn't rise!

You need a thin cutter. Like a metal one. You can even use a small tin can, washed and dried clean.

[Paper Roses]

12. Yup! I was using a glass to cut the dough. As I look at ther finished product,

the edges are crimped. Guess I'll have to find a real cutter. My baking powder is, according to the can, 18 months old. I don't bake much anymore. Think I'll buy a new can. I use Rumford which is pretty good stuff, I think. Never have any problem with cinnamon rolls or that type of baked goodie.

[sharp_stick]

13. you can also use two knives

not really sharp ones just the typical cutlery knives and run them back and forth through the flour/butter.

It works quite well but it takes a bit longer than an actual cutter.

[grasswire]

14. Yeah, I had no idea about the problem of using a glass to cut biscuits..

...until a few years ago when I read or saw it somewhere on the teevee. A glass or jar pinches the edges of the dough -- essentially seals them. Result: flatter biscuits.

I thought I remembered my mom using a glass jelly jar. Maybe glass jars used to be thinner. Now I have a small olive can that I removed the top and bottom from. It's perfect.

[grasswire]

10. how tall do you want them to be?

Why don't you roll them thicker and see what happens?

[Vinca]

11. Try a really high temp. Like 500 degrees for 10 minutes.

Also, be careful not to overmix the dough.

[Major Nikon]

15. biscuit leavening 101

Yeast leavens bread by providing CO2 gas which is a by-product of the fermentation stage.

Baking powder also provides CO2, but through a straight chemical reaction rather than a biological one. All baking powder you're likely to find at the store is "double acting" which simply means you get two rises, which doubles your chances of getting a lighter bread. This action is produces by the chemical reaction of a base (the baking powder) and an acid (usually cultured buttermilk for biscuits). The first rise happens at lower temperatures (room temperature) and the second happens at higher temperatures (oven temps). So for baking powder to work well (assuming it's not gone bad over time) you must have acid (buttermilk) and the base (baking powder). Some recipes also call for baking soda. Just make sure you measure out everything to get the right proportions and don't substitute something like regular milk for the buttermilk.

The next thing that helps make biscuits lighter is the fat content of the dough. The fat should be blended into the flour such that small globs of it are contained throughout the dough. When the fat melts, the CO2 from the leavening agent fills the spaces and causes the biscuits to rise. So the fat, base, and acid all have to work together to make the magic happen. Otherwise you get hockey pucks.

Here are a few tips to insure success. As others have said, make sure your baking powder is good as it does expire and won't be as effective. Make sure the fat doesn't melt before baking. I prefer to use shortening rather than lard because it has a higher melting point and is easier to work. I like to use butter also because it has a different melting point and ads taste, but I use about a 1:3 butter/shortening ratio. You still have to be careful. Don't make biscuits in a hot kitchen. Cut the fat into small cubes and chill in the refrigerator for an hour before working. Work the shortening in with your fingers, but be careful not to work it too much. Do not overmix the dough. Add the liquid ingredients and work it until it just comes together. Working the dough too much impedes rising and makes tougher biscuits. After you cut your first biscuits, you can roll the remaining dough out and cut new biscuits, but they won't be as light as the first ones.

[kestrel91316]

16. I use milk that I have soured with cider vinegar or lemon juice most of the time.

Enough acid, enough baking powder, fresh baking powder, and minimal handling. Plus lard rather than shortening - makes it SO tender.