Mrs. Mason’s Homemade Biscuits

This homemade biscuits is a simple recipe that won first prize in 1914.  It uses simple ingredients and offers suggestions on what to substitute.  For help with measurement conversions and oven temperatures, hop over to my conversion page for help.

Recipe

This is my recipe on how to make hot biscuits.  One quart flour, one teaspoon salt, two teaspoons baking powder, one tablespoon each of butter and lard, or all butter or all lard, one pint of sweet milk which should be cold, use cold water when milk cannot be obtained, or one may use part milk and part water.  Sift well together flour, salt and baking powder.  Rub in the fat as lightly as possible with the fingers, just working it until the fat is well blended with the flour, then mix to a smooth consistent dough with the milk or water, or part milk and part water, whichever one has at hand to use.

Mix with a flexible knife in preference to a spoon or the hand as the stub of the knife is colder than the spoon and also because it cuts and mixes the dough thoroughly.  When just stiff enough to be handled, turn on a well-floured board and toss till well-floured, but do not knead the dough.  Pat with the rolling pin until the dough is of one-half inch thick.  Cut with a round cutter which should be of medium size, and lay them, not touching each other on a greased baking tin.  Bake in good hot oven from fifteen to twenty minutes.  Old biscuits can be made fresh by moistening and placing in oven until heated through.

Mrs. C. L. Mason, 1035 South Broadway, Dayton Ohio – The Dayton Herald – 19 Feb 1914

Print

Homemade Biscuits by Mrs. Mason

A hot biscuit recipe from 1914

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword Biscuits

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp butter or 2 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp lard or 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups milk or cold water

Instructions

1. Sift well together flour, salt and baking powder.  Rub in the fat as lightly as possible with the fingers, just working it until the fat is well blended with the flour, then mix to a smooth consistent dough with the milk or water, or part milk and part water, whichever one has at hand to use. 

2. Mix with a flexible knife in preference to a spoon or the hand as the stub of the knife is colder than the spoon and also because it cuts and mixes the dough thoroughly.

3. When just stiff enough to be handled, turn on a well-floured board and toss till well-floured, but do not knead the dough.  Pat with the rolling pin until the dough is of one-half inch thick.

4. Cut with a round cutter which should be of medium size, and lay them, not touching each other on a greased baking tin. 

5. Bake in good hot oven from fifteen to twenty minutes.

Recipe Notes

Old biscuits can be made fresh by moistening and placing in oven until heated through.