Faye's Angel Biscuits - Updated 11/16/2014

I had never heard of Angel Biscuits until I was at a carry in dinner at church. One of the older ladies had brought chicken pot pie with a biscuit crust to the dinner. After sampling a spoonful of the potpie, I knew I had to know what type of biscuit she had used for her crust. The tender biscuit crust had a slightly sweet tang that perfectly complimented the chicken and pea filling. Ruth smiled when I asked her about the crust. "Angel biscuit dough is what I used."she said. Angel biscuits? Ruth explained that they were a buttermilk biscuit, but you added yeast and let the dough rise like a dinner roll.

I had forgotten about Angel Biscuits until I was browsing through my cookbook collection a couple of weeks ago. The title, "Angel Biscuits", caught my eye and caused my forgotten memory to emerge. Hmmm....there was no doubt that I wanted to make these biscuits.

The hubby is a yeast roll man. Bill likes my favorite biscuit recipe, but he isn't really crazy about biscuits. Tonight, I made a batch of Angel Biscuits thinking that this just might be the biscuit that Bill will love. Why? It is the perfect yeast biscuit to eat with sausage gravy, honey, or butter.

Faye's Angel Biscuits 

    

Yield: about 1 dozen

This recipe may be doubled. Use 1/3 cup of sugar. Do not double the 1/4 cup of water. All other ingredients are doubled. and will yield about 2 1/2 dozen biscuits.

Ingredients

• 1  .25 oz. package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup very warm water, 110 degrees to 115 degrees Fahrenheit
• 4 slightly rounded Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup of warm water
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup shortening

Directions

• In a small bowl, Pour packet of yeast into 1/4 cup of very warm water.
• Let stand five minutes.
• Using a one cup measuring cup, measure 3/4 cup of very warm water.
• Add four Tbsp. of plain yogurt to the warm water in the measuring cup.
• Stir. Add more water if necessary to measure one cup of liquid. 
• Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Mixture should be at 110 - 115 degrees Fahreheit.
• Combine yogurt mixture with the yeast. Stir briefly. Set aside.

• In a one quart bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add shortening and blend it with a pastry blender, two butter knives, a small wire whisk, or by hand until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir in yeast/yogurt mixture, mix well. A soft dough should form.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface
• Sprinkle flour onto sticky areas of dough.
• Knead dough lightly three or four times.
• Pat or roll dough to a half inch thickness.
• Cut into round biscuits with a floured, two and a half inch round biscuit cutter or sharp cookie cutter.
• Place biscuits on a lightly greased, twelve inch pizza pan, with biscuits barely touching.
• Cover with one layer of paper towels and let rise in a warm place for about one and a half hours.
• Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Mine take 10 minutes in a preheated oven. 

Homemade happiness on a plate!

Update 11/16/2014 

An Alternate Way to Shape the Biscuits.

• Instead of rolling out the biscuit dough, divide your ball of dough into three equal pieces using your fingers to pinch off each piece of dough.
• Next, divide each ball in half  which results in six dough balls.
• Then, divide each of the six dough balls in half which results in twelve dough balls.

Ready to be sprayed with pan coat.

• Spray the cups in a cupcake pan with pan coat spray.
• Put a dough ball into each sprayed cup and turn it over once.
• Cover the cupcake pan and let the biscuits rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half.
• Follow the above baking directions.

Adapted from a recipe found in Recipes We Grew Up With. Recipe submitted by Faye Hintz, Springfield, MO.  Publisher: Reiman Publications.