Best Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe | Butter, Shortening, Lard, or combo

I did a side-by-side comparison of my ultimate buttermilk biscuit recipe with butter, shortening, half butter half shortening, lard from bacon fat, and half butter half lard combo to see which fat or which combo made the absolute BEST biscuits!
More recipes on www.bessiebakes.com.
Tools (Amazon affiliate links):
Bench Scraper: amzn.to/4bshM7Q
Pastry Cutter: amzn.to/3uoh62N
Kitchen Scale (this scale has lasted over 10 years and still going!):
Biscuit Cutters: amzn.to/3SqQ56L
Set of pastry cutter, biscuit cutter, and bench scraper altogether: amzn.to/4bpZUus
Sifter for the flour and dry ingredients: amzn.to/3wbGdq0
Each batch makes 6 medium-sized biscuits (using a 2.5 inch wide biscuit cutter). Double the recipe if you want to make 12 biscuits.
Biscuit Recipes
Buttermilk Biscuits with Butter
5 TBSP (71 grams butter), european style butter is best because of the high fat content
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (188 grams), plus more dusting
½ tsp salt (3 grams)
½ TBSP Baking powder (6 grams)
⅛ tsp Baking Soda
2 TBSP sour cream (30 grams)
½ cup Buttermilk (120 grams)
Buttermilk Biscuits with Shortening
5 TBSP shortening (71 grams)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (188 grams), plus more dusting
3 grams or ½ tsp salt
6 grams or ½ TBSP Baking powder
⅛ tsp Baking Soda
2 TBSP sour cream (30 grams)
½ cup Buttermilk (120 grams)
Buttermilk Biscuits with half shortening & half butter
2 and ½ TBSP shortening (35 grams)
2 and ½ TBSP butter (35 grams)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (188 grams), plus more dusting
3 grams or ½ tsp salt
6 grams or ½ TBSP Baking powder
⅛ tsp Baking Soda
2 TBSP sour cream (30 grams)
½ cup Buttermilk (120 grams)
Buttermilk Biscuits with Lard
5 TBSP (65 grams) lard, you can get enough fat from 1 pound of bacon
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (188 grams), plus more dusting
3 grams or ½ tsp salt
6 grams or ½ TBSP Baking powder
⅛ tsp Baking Soda
2 TBSP sour cream (30 grams)
½ cup Buttermilk (120 grams)
To make the lard for the lard Biscuits:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Using 1 pound of bacon, place the slices of bacon on a baking sheet. Bake until the bacon is cooked, flipping the bacon over half way through cooking. Remove from the oven and place the bacon on a separate plate, then pour the bacon fat into a heat-safe dish to reserve. Let cool, then place in a container with a lid and freeze until you’re ready to use it. It will stay fresh for up to one month in the freezer.
For all the biscuits:
Place the fat you’re using (lard, butter, or shortening) in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before mixing them in. The freezer will get them extra chilled, especially the lard. Before placing them in the freezer, they can be held in the fridge to keep them chilled. Make sure the buttermilk and sour cream is kept chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to make biscuits.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Mixing the dough:
In a large bowl, sift in the dry ingredients and stir to ensure they’re combined. Then “cut in” the fat you’re using (lard, butter, shortening, or half butter and half shortening) with a pastry cutter or you can press the fat into dry ingredients with your fingers. Mix in the fat until they are small crumbles throughout the dough.
Stir together your buttermilk and sour cream in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk and sour cream mixture to your dough and mix with a spatula until the dough is just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Don’t over mix as it will toughen your dough.
Put a small mound of flour off to the side. Dump out the mixture onto a surface and press the dough together in a square or circle. Use the bench scraper to help release the dough from your surface to keep it from sticking. When needed, dip your hands into the flour to keep the dough from sticking too much to your hands. Try not to add tons of flour to the surface under the biscuit dough because you’ll be folding in lots of extra flour into your dough which can dry out your biscuits.
Laminating the dough:
To laminate the biscuit dough for flaky layers, use a bench scraper (metal or plastic), cut the dough in half down the middle, then place one half on top of the other half and press down. Repeat this process for a total of 6 times.
Shaping the biscuits (Rounds or square biscuits):
Using only your hands (no need for a rolling pin), shape the dough into a circle if you're using a round biscuit cutter. Flour the biscuit cutter before pressing through the dough each time. Cut out 4 pieces, then for the last two, re-form the extra pieces of dough back together.
You can also shape the dough into a square and cut the biscuits with a knife into 6 even squares.
Place the biscuits onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and brush the tops of each biscuit with cold buttermilk.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Brush with butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Sounstripe song code: YZL1NHGELNW4FDUV

[@bessiebakesbackdrops]

Intro: 00:00
Making All Butter Biscuits 0:46
All Butter Biscuits Taste Test 3:53
Making Shortening Biscuits 4:41
Shortening Biscuits Taste Test 7:06
Making Half Butter Half Shortening Biscuits 7:47
Half Butter Half Shortening Biscuits Taste Test 9:48
Making Lard Biscuits 10:16
Lard Biscuits Taste Test 12:59
Making Half Butter Half Lard Biscuits 13:49
Half Butter Half Lard Biscuits Taste Test 14:48
My Favorites in Order 15:48

[@tigerlilly9038]

You are doing the Lord's work 😂.

[@ibmerlin2]

I love videos like this where ingredients are compared. Thank you!!

[@tigerlilly9038]

Ma'am you are a blessed woman and Thank you for doing the legwork ❤!! That sigh at 14:57 made me cackle

[@Nanmoses2023]

This is a superb biscuit recipe 😋 ❤

[@laurielane6552]

Really, really, did you have to make all those facing eating that biscuit, and we can't get any. LOL😁

[@GallowayKelly]

Appreciate your experimenting!
I have some leftover whey from straining yoghurt. Saw this being discussed on another channel how it can be used in pancakes and biscuits in place of buttermilk. Can also add some whole milk powder to the whey to make it more like buttermilk. What do you think?
Also, what about using cake and pastry flour instead of AP?

[@bessiebakesbackdrops]

I think it could work as long as it's richer liquid like buttermilk, although I haven't tried this. Cake or pastry flour both have a lower percentage of protein than all purpose flour so the biscuits will likely be lighter (but I'm not sure if they would be too light). You could certainly try it out to see if you liked the difference in texture.

[@gerrimcgrath6878]

What temperature do you cook them at? Thanks.

[@bessiebakesbackdrops]

400 degrees Fahrenheit.

[@gerrimcgrath6878]

@@bessiebakesbackdrops
Thank you. 🫶

[@lcru72]

Can we substitute the buttermilk with the home made one where you put vinegar with the milk? I hope I remember that correctly 😅

[@krene8583]

Sure can that's the only way I make biscuits is with homemade buttermilk I didn't have enough one time not paying attention and had to sub the sour cream for the difference even I was shocked how good

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

Dang nabbit ❤ Yummy!!!❤

[@bessiebakesbackdrops]

Thank you!! I hope you give them a try.