Alright, so the other day I was craving some good ol’ biscuits, but I didn’t have any shortening on hand. I know, I know, shortening is like the secret weapon for flaky biscuits, but I was determined to make it work. And guess what I had in my pantry? A box of Krusteaz pancake mix. Now, I’ve heard whispers that you can actually make biscuits with pancake mix, but I was skeptical. Still, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
First things first, I grabbed that box of Krusteaz pancake mix. I measured out about 3 cups of the stuff. Then, instead of shortening, I went with what I did have: butter. I used about half a cup of it, cold and cut into small pieces. The idea is the same as with shortening, right? To create those little pockets of fat that make the biscuits all tender and flaky.
- 3 cups Buttermilk Pancake Mix
- 1/2 cup Butter
I dumped the pancake mix into a big bowl, then I tossed in the butter pieces. I got my hands in there and started to use my finger to work the butter into the mix, pinching it up, until it looked kind of like coarse crumbs. The key is not to overwork it, you want those little bits of butter to stay intact.
Next, I slowly added some milk, just a bit at a time, mixing it gently with a fork until the dough started to come together. It was a little sticky, but that’s okay. I didn’t want to add too much milk and end up with tough biscuits. I turned the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gave it a few gentle folds. No heavy kneading here, just enough to bring it all together.
Then, I rolled out the dough to about half an inch thick and used a biscuit cutter to cut out my biscuits. I placed them on a baking sheet and popped them into a preheated oven at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. They baked for about 12-15 minutes, until they were golden brown and smelled amazing.
And let me tell you, they were surprisingly good! They were not the exact same as biscuits made from scratch with shortening, but they were definitely fluffy, and they had a nice buttery flavor. I slathered them with some jam and butter, and they were the perfect comfort food. So, if you’re ever in a pinch and craving biscuits without shortening, don’t be afraid to give that pancake mix a try. It’s a pretty decent substitute!
Moral of the story?
Sometimes, kitchen experiments pay off. And when they don’t, well, at least you learn something new, right? Now, go forth and bake some biscuits, even if you’re out of shortening!
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