Brenda Gantt’s biscuits have been around since before most people were born.
The original biscuits, made by Mrs. Gantt, were sold to many families during World War II as part of their ration packages.
What Is The Recipe For Brenda Gantt’s Biscuits?
The basic ingredients for Brenda Gantt’s biscuit are flour, baking powder, salt, shortening (or lard), milk, sugar, and eggs.
These are mixed together in a large bowl until they form a dough.
This mixture can be formed into any shape you like, but it’s best if it has some thickness so that it doesn’t crumble when cooked.
Next, the biscuits are rolled out on a floured surface with a rolling pin or your hands.
They’re then cut using either a biscuit cutter or knife.
Once the biscuits are cut, they should be placed in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) or at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
After about 10 minutes of cooking time, the biscuits will turn golden brown and puffy.
If you want them extra crispy, you may bake them longer than this.
It’s important not to overbake these biscuits because they’ll become dry and hard.
When they cool down, they should feel firm, yet tender and chewy.
You may also add additional spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or ginger to give them more flavor.
Now let us look at how Brenda Gantt makes her biscuits.
How Does Brenda Gantt Make Her Biscuits?
We don’t know exactly how long she has been selling them but we do know that they are still being produced today in small batches at the family bakery on the outskirts of downtown Atlanta.
The story goes that when Mrs. Gantt was growing up, she would go into town with her father every day after school to purchase flour from his local store.
One day he asked if she wanted to help him bake some cookies or bread, and she decided to try it out.
She came back home and told everyone about what she had learned and then went right back down to the store again.
Her dad noticed this time and said “I’m going to see what you’re doing.”
He returned an hour later with a huge bag of flour and a few other ingredients and asked her how much money she spent. She replied $5.
“That’s not enough,” he responded. “You need more than that”.
So he brought her another big bag of flour and all the other ingredients.
She continued to work there until he died in 1978.
By then she was running the place herself and baking those same biscuits for customers who stopped by regularly.
They became so popular that she started charging admission, which helped pay for supplies like sugar and butter.
When I visited, I found that the price had gone up considerably over the years.
Mrs. Gantt has always baked two dozen biscuits per batch, and sells them to anyone willing to wait in line (the waiting area gets very crowded).
In addition to serving biscuits, she also makes strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookie dough balls, and apple fritters.
What Is The Secret To Brenda Gantt’s Biscuit Recipe?
The secret to Brenda Gantt’s biscuit recipe is in the ingredients.
The first ingredient is baking powder which gives the dough its fluffiness and lightness without any added fat or oil.
Baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) is also an important and essential ingredient that makes your biscuits rise.
It helps with leavening and creates more air pockets within the dough so it rises quicker.
Without these two basic ingredients you cannot have biscuits like those that are served up at the Gantts’ house.
Other than that, there isn’t much else that needs to be done other than mixing together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and shortening until they form a crumbly mixture.
When mixed properly, roll out the dough into circles about 1/4-inch thick.
After rolling them out, cut each circle into sixths using a sharp knife.
With the biscuit cutter, use this method to cut the biscuits from the rolled out dough.
Once all of the biscuits are cut, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool completely before serving.
If you’re looking for another great recipe, try one of our favorite recipes for homemade granola bars!
You’ll love how quick and simple they are to make.
How Can I Make Brenda Gantt’s Biscuits At Home?
The easiest way to enjoy these treats is to buy them from your local grocer or order on Amazon.
They are also available online through websites like eBay and Etsy.
However, if you want to learn how to make biscuits yourself, it’s not too difficult to do so!
Here’s what you need to know about this classic American treat.
What Is The Key Ingredient In Brenda Gantt’s Biscuit Recipe?
The secret behind the biscuits’ success lies with its buttery texture, which comes from an egg-based dough that has just enough flour to hold it together without being too heavy.
This lightness gives the biscuits their fluffiness when they bake.
In addition to the classic ingredients, such as baking powder, salt, milk, and buttermilk, the biscuits also contain some unusual additions like potato chips, raisins, or even chocolate chips.
These extras are not required, however, because they add flavor, crunch, or color without contributing much to the main body of the biscuit itself.
If you enjoy experimenting with your own recipes, try adding these interesting ingredients to see what happens!
What Makes Brenda Gantt’s Biscuits So Special?
The secret behind the success of these biscuits lies in the ingredients used to make them.
While many other recipes call for flour, eggs, baking soda, sugar, salt, and shortening, Brenda Gantt uses only four main ingredients — but they are vital ones!
These include milk powder, cream of tartar (an acid), leavening agents (including baking soda and yeast), and cornstarch.
These ingredients help create the flaky texture that is characteristic of the biscuits.
They also give the biscuits their signature lightness.
You will notice that when you take a bite into one, it melts on your tongue without being too heavy or dry.
This is due to the fact that the biscuits contain just enough fat to keep them from drying out while still retaining all of the moisture necessary to keep them soft and moist.
A combination of these two properties creates the perfect balance between flavor and texture.
In addition to the right amount of fat, some recipes recommend using a little oil or melted butter to grease the pan.
But because this recipe does not use any oils or fats, there is no need to grease the pan at all.
If you want to add more flavor, try adding a teaspoon each of vanilla extract and cinnamon along with the powdered sugar.
If you want to change up the presentation, try sprinkling the biscuits with a mixture of brown sugar and chopped pecans instead of plain white sugar.
To make sure the finished product comes out perfectly every time, read through our tips below on how to bake Brenda Gantt’s biscuits.
What Is The History Of Brenda Gantt’s Biscuit Recipe?
The first official recipe for biscuits was published in 1943 in the United States under the name “Mrs. Gantt”.
This was a time when food shortages were at an all-time high due to the war effort.
“Mrs. Gantt” biscuits are still being produced today, but they are now called “Gantt’s Original Homestyle Baking Mix.”
They are available from grocery stores across North America, and you can also find them online if you’d like to get your hands on some.
This original mix has been around for quite some time, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that anyone really started taking notice of this particular recipe.
That’s because a young woman named Brenda Gantt had written about the recipe in a magazine back in 1965.
After her husband died, she continued baking these biscuits for herself and her family.
At the time, Brenda Gantt didn’t know who owned the rights to the recipe, but she knew that she wanted to preserve it for future generations.
So, she began working out how to make the recipe even better than what her mother used to bake.
She took great care to ensure that each batch tasted just as good as the last one!
In 2002, Brenda Gantt passed away, leaving behind a legacy of biscuits, recipes, and inspiration.
Today, there are several companies that produce variations of her famous biscuits using different mixes and ingredients.
But none of those companies actually owns the copyright to the actual recipe itself.
How Did Brenda Gantt Come Up With Her Biscuit Recipe?
Mrs. Gantt was a cook in the US Army during WWII.
She created this recipe after hearing that other soldiers had trouble finding flour.
After she returned from the war, she decided to share it with others who might be having difficulty getting flour.
She started selling them at local markets and eventually opened her own bakery called “Gantt’s Bakery.”
Her business flourished until she passed away in 1999.
In 2012, the company was purchased by the Jarden Corporation.
“Biscuits” means something different depending on where you’re from.
They may refer to any type of rolled flatbread or they could mean an individual biscuit (cookies).
Regardless, these recipes will make your taste buds sing!
So how do you go about trying out one of these recipes?
Let’s take a look at how Brenda Gantt came up with her biscuit recipe!
What Are Some Of The Unique Features Of Brenda Gant
Mrs. Gantt was an African-American woman who lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
She had learned how to make biscuits from her mother, but after she died, no one knew how to continue making them.
It wasn’t until years later that someone found out about Mrs. Gantt’s recipe and decided to share it with others.
“I’ve always loved biscuits,” says Brenda Gantt. “My mom used to bake these for us when we were kids.”
When Mrs. Gantt passed away, however, there weren’t any recipes available online for anyone else to use.
That changed in 2010, when Brenda Gantt began sharing her family’s secret recipe on Facebook.
Soon enough, other folks started asking for help with baking the biscuits.
And so, the Brenda Gantt Biscuits came into existence.
The recipe has become hugely popular among foodies all over the world.
In fact, Brenda Gantt has even appeared on several cooking shows such as Good Eats With Alton Brown and Food Network Challenge.
So what exactly does it take to create this wonderful treat?
Read on to find out!
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Crisco shortening
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp salted butter
Instructions
- The oven should first be preheated at 500–525 degrees F. Even though it’s quite hot, you’ll only be baking them for a little more than 10 minutes, which will help them get that gorgeous golden exterior.
- Grab a skillet and give it a thin coating of Crisco shortening. To guarantee the most consistent heating, it’s ideal to use a cast-iron skillet, but any oven-safe dish that can accommodate the biscuits will do.
- For the lightest and fluffiest biscuits imaginable, sieve the flour into a medium bowl.
- Make a tiny well in the centre of the mixture by using your hand after adding the salt and stirring the flour slightly.
- With your hands, slowly incorporate the remaining Crisco into the well along with the buttermilk. Add a small amount of flour at a time to the mixture to check that it is well combined before adding more flour.
- Repeat this process, just adding a small amount of flour each time, until the entire mixture is combined.
- Before going on to the next step, wash your hands.
- To prevent sticking, sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and hands before beginning to work with the dough.
- Start to gently knead the dough after taking it out of the bowl. Add a little more flour in small amounts at a time until you reach the desired consistency if you discover that it’s still a little too sticky.
- Once it has been sufficiently kneaded, carefully pat it down to a thickness of about an inch (you don’t need to roll it; the slightly uneven appearance enhances the rustic appeal of these cookies). Use a biscuit cutter to cut them out.
- Working from the outside in, add as many biscuits as you can to the skillet. In contrast to baking other biscuits, it’s really okay if these are touching since the places where they touch will be a little softer when you separate them.
- Put the pan on the middle rack and reduce the oven’s temperature to 500 degrees F.
- 12 to 15 minutes of baking time, or until the tops are a lovely golden colour and no longer appear “wet.”
- Remove the biscuits from the oven after they are done baking and place them on a wire rack to cool. To complete them, you can also add some melted butter to the top.
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