For a better biscuit

It’s an adage passed down by expert Nathalie Dupree in her cookbook “Southern Biscuits”: “No two cooks make the same biscuit.” Some swear by cream or a mix of baking powder and baking soda. Some drop their biscuits from a spoon instead of cutting them out. Some people use butter instead of lard, or shortening instead of butter. They cut them big or cut them small. They might dunk each one in melted butter before baking, the way James Beard did. But there are a few tips everyone can follow for better biscuits.

Make sure all of the ingredients, including the flour and baking powder, are cold.

Do not overwork the dough: Mix just until the liquid is incorporated, and knead just until the dough comes together.

Roll the dough so that it’s about an inch thick, and not much less, for high biscuits.

Cut the biscuits out without twisting the cutter to prevent the sides from getting pinched.

Eat biscuits as soon as possible; their lifespan is short.

—Betty Hallock