I Tried Dolly Parton's Famous Biscuit Recipe, and It May Be One of the Best Out There
If there's one thing you can count on from Dolly Parton, it's that she's going to produce good things. From her overflowing music catalog to the delicious collaboration she's cooked up with Duncan Hines, the Queen of Nashville is known for giving us things we didn't even know we needed — and in the process, has placed herself in the category of one of the most lovable humans living on this earth.
While the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is still keeping us talking about her work decades after she arrived on the scene, another thing that keeps her top of mind for many people are her skills in the kitchen. Dolly's recipes continue to awe home cooks, so when I recently stumbled across her famous biscuit recipe I took note.
Made with a handful of ingredients — including lard — I knew I had to jump on this recipe as soon as I saw it. Set to make 24 soft and delicious buttermilk biscuits, this was one budget-friendly recipe I couldn't wait to test out. One of the main reasons I was so amped to give these a try? These buttermilk biscuits don't include any butter. After heading to the store to grab up what I didn't have at home, I got to work.
Get the recipe: Dolly Parton's Biscuits
Courtesy of Choya Johnson
Ingredients for Dolly Parton Biscuits
This recipe comes together with just a few simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, lard or vegetable shortening and buttermilk.
Related: Why Dolly Parton Rejected Kate Middleton's Tea Invitation
How to Make Dolly Parton’s Biscuits
To start, preheat your oven to 450°F. While the oven heats up, sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt) and the lard or vegetable shortening. Using your hands or a fork, mix the dough until it looks crumbly. Then, add in the buttermilk and mix until the dough becomes silky smooth, sprinkling in additional flour if the dough is too wet.
Knead the dough for a minimum of 2 minutes before wrapping the dough in plastic wrap and chilling it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Your dough should still be very soft after the kneading process, so be careful to not over-knead.
Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about ½-inch thick. Using an overturned drinking glass, cut out your biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. (You can also line your baking sheet with parchment paper.) Bake until puffed and golden brown, which should take 13 to 15 minutes.
Courtesy of Choya Johnson
What I Thought of Dolly Parton’s Biscuits
Dolly does not miss! I hope she never stops sharing her delicious recipes because these biscuits are super delicious and fluffy. They were very easy to make and required minimal ingredients, many of which I already had on hand. These biscuits were light and while not flaky, could be the perfect addition to any meal. No, really. They're great for breakfast, brunch or dinner. I could really see myself eating these all day long!
If you're looking for them to be just like the buttery, flaky biscuits she produced earlier this year with Duncan Hines though, you may be a little disappointed. But to be honest, I kind of like these homemade ones better. That may very well be because they were very reminiscent of my grandmother's recipe. With my grandmother's biscuits, I enjoyed eating them at any point of the day. In the morning, I would make a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and for dinner, I ate them with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. And with Dolly's, I feel like I can do the exact same thing.
Tips for Making Dolly Parton’s Biscuits.
Take it easy with the kneading. If you knead the dough too much, you'll create too much gluten, which can cause your biscuits to be tough.
Make sure your dough is thick enough. To make sure the biscuits are light and fluffy, don't roll the dough out too thinly. You're looking for 1/2-inch here. If you need to, get out a ruler and check. In my first attempt, I rolled the dough out too far and ended up with small, flat biscuits and that's the total opposite of what we're going for here.
Get the recipe: Dolly Parton's Biscuits
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