Post

I shared what I perceive as the difference in scones and biscuits in a reply, but figured I'd share it here. Scones include sugar. US biscuits typically do not. Scones also often use cream and egg, whereas a US biscuit almost always uses buttermilk which reacts with the baking soda to create lift.

Most scones use baking powder which is different from baking soda. Baking powder contains its own dry acid. Scones and buttermilk biscuits are two similar but different things. Buttermilk biscuits in the South of the US will be crispy and buttery on the exterior/top and flaky and soft in the middle.

Scones are usually a bit denser in texture. They're not folded like Southern biscuits are sometimes folded into layers, and scones will often have a sweeter texture and they will sometimes contain sweet fruits.

I say sometimes in this thread a lot because obviously there are a lot of variables. Sometimes scones will be "pie-wedge-shaped," and sometimes southern biscuits will be "circular-shaped," but not always.

Southern US biscuits are almost always BUTTER-focused. They have lots of salted butter inside the dough and they are usually slathered with melted butter on top. They are soft, flaky and savory. Not sweet.

It's my understanding that Northern-adjusted US biscuit recipes might use unsalted butter, and most non-southern biscuit recipes will use all-purpose flour, but the old school southern grandmother biscuit recipes use self-rising flour (white lily) and usually use salted butter.

I'm not Southern and have no biscuit baking tradition. My go-to biscuit is obviously 1950s "modern". AP flour, a lot of baking powder, plus some cream of tartar. There's quite a bit of sugar, and the fat is crisco. Then, a cup of milk and an egg. It's a travesty, but prepping butter is a pain.

I've started grating frozen butter rather than measuring and incorporating shortening, and have come to find it easier overall. Highly recommended, for that reason as well as flavor (and, arguably, health--though I'm not a doctor)!

They still sell Crisco?

It's a genericised trademark for vegetable shortening at this point.