My blogging buddy, Mub , asked about substituting butter for the shortening in my Square Biscuits recipe from Tuesday. Mub hails from “up North” and now lives way over in the Netherlands. So, bless her heart, I am sure she has no idea how much controversy this innocent question can spark amongst a group of Southern cooks! You may ask, is there really a big difference in using one fat over the over? In a word, yes. It is all about texture versus flavor. Shortening = tender, crisp and dense biscuits Butter = flaky, flavorful and light biscuits What accounts for the difference in texture? Water! Butter is about 17% water. Shortening contains no water. So, what did a little water ever hurt? The more water there is in dough, the more active gluten created. The more gluten present in dough, the tougher the dough. Again, it is really a trade off: Butter = Flavor Shortening = Tenderness There are generally four camps in the Butter vs. Shortening in Biscuits Debate: Camp One: These folk
Recipes and Ramblings from a Southern Cook