I watched the retro food episode of Fresh With Anna Olson’s and was totally intrigued with her Angel Biscuits but I do not remember them getting as HUMUNGOUS as mine did! I always wondered how how you make those rolls that split open so easily so you can wedge some butter in there to melt from the heat of those hot biscuits. Now I know how! I also know, these take a lot longer to make than I realized.
There are two leaveners in these biscuits. You begin with the yeast. Now do not be afraid of yeast. As long as you let it proof in warm water that is just above body temperature with a little sugar, you are good to go.
The recipe calls for buttermilk which I did not have. The second leavener is baking soda which requires acid. Long time ago on her show Sugar, Anna taught me that you can make your own buttermilk by adding lemon juice to milk. Just let it sit for a while to acidulate. Easy!
You sift the dry ingredients together. When I make dough, I get the hugest bowl I can find, I loathe mess and want it contained. After you sift the dry ingredients you cut in the cold butter until crumbly.
Stir the yeast mixture into the buttermilk and add to the dry ingredients to make the dough. I just used a spoon to bring it together. The dough was supposed to be sticky, mine wasn’t. I probably should have added more liquid.
Then I read, “wrap and chill overnight…” Overnight? Crap! Yes, once again I missed that tiny detail and had to change all my plans for dinner. But the next day…
You are supposed to roll out the dough until it is half an inch thick and then fold it over, pressing gently. Um… really? I mean, that is kind of thick? And the dough? Kind of hard to roll and really does not want to stick together.
This was the closest thing to a 2″ round cutter I had, a juice glass. The dough was so thick and hard, I thought the internal pressure was going to shatter the glass. I highly recommend using a biscuit cutter instead if you have one.
That is why they break apart, they are barely holding themselves together! So clever. Bake in a hot 425F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. No egg wash or anything. The hot oven is going to make them pop up instantly.
And boy did they ever! Now next time I will probably roll them out a little thinner because I think these are a bit overkill but overall, they were fantastic! Seriously the best rolls I have ever had. My husband loved them too. This recipe does not make a ton of biscuits but definitely enough for a holiday dinner. Just remember to make the dough a day ahead!
Despite some issues, these were so good I have to give them five out of five wooden spoons.
Susie,I make tea biscuits all the time but I can’t believe how puffy the ones you made turned out. I guess the yeast really makes a big difference. Fantastic job!
Isn’t it crazy Anna? Yes, having yeast with the baking soda makes them go crazy once the hit the heat after sitting dormant in the fridge all that time. It’s crazy! But in a good way, LOL.
I have never, ever heard of tea biscuits made with yeast and chilled overnight in the fridge. But just LOOK at them, OMG! I must try these someday when I have lots of time.
Those look great! I can almost taste them..with a little gravy for breakfast! Yum, going to have to try those.
I could really use one of those right now. They look so good!!
They would make a delicious snack with a little molasses and a tall glass of really cold milk.
These are just incredible. I adore how they just pull apart, perfect for buttering and slathering with jam, mmmm, just thinking how awesome they would be with gravy too.
These look absolutely beautiful. I often like to make biscuits with homemade soup and will definitely be trying this recipe.
Merry Christmas to you!
I tried these and definitely did something wrong 🙁 I’m useless when it comes to anything with yeast.
I did check the freshness of the yeast (rapid rise) and it is good for another year so that wasn’t it. How long do you let the yeast sit in the warm water (with the bit of sugar)? What should it look like? Mine looked like it was working somewhat, with some bubbles, but nothing really frothy or anything.
These look so good I want to try them again.
Thanks!
Alexis, I am sorry to hear you had issues with these biscuits! This is not a rapid rise dough since it has to chill overnight which is probably what the issue was. I used breadmaker yeast and regular yeast would have been fine. I rarely use rapid rise yeast because it is very particular, I hope you try these again, they’re totally worth it!
Thanks for the quick response 🙂 The recipe says Instant Yeast, I misunderstood. I will definitely try these again. I’m determined to end my losing streak with yeast. I’ll let you know what happens.
You’re welcome and wow, you’re right! Shows you how closely I pay attention to recipes, sorry about that. Was your water warm enough? Remember, it has to be above room temperature without being hot. Did you add sugar to the yeast? Also, make sure there was no salt in the yeast mixture, just water and sugar. Salt kills yeast. Don’t give up OK?! Feel free to email me: sueridler at gmail dot com with more questions.
Oh wow, this is just what I was looking for. I’m going to give these a try this week.