May 14th ushers in National Buttermilk Biscuit Day to celebrate this high-rising breakfast staple.

Biscuits are made using baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast.  A typicalbuttermilk biscuit recipe contains flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk.  They are often referred to as a “quick bread,” indicating they do not need time to rise before baking. While being made, the dough is beaten and folded to incorporate air, which expands while baking, causing the biscuit to rise. 

Before the American Civil War, biscuits emerged as an inexpensive addition to meals. This sturdier bread product soon became popular as people realized it absorbed the gravy on their plate better than plain bread. Soon a new family favorite, biscuits and gravy, was created.

Alexander P. Ashbourne patented the first biscuit cutter in 1875.

Supermarkets offer canned biscuits that are refrigerated until ready to be baked. In 1931, Ballard and Ballard patented these refrigerator biscuits.

Biscuits have been a staple of the Southern United States cuisine for many years and are often made with buttermilk.  Traditionally served as a side dish with butter, they are also served at breakfast with molasses, light sugarcane syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, jam or jelly, or as a breakfast sandwich.

HOW TO OBSERVE #ButtermilkBiscuitDay

Share your favorite recipes and biscuit combinations. Aside from biscuits and gravy, give these biscuit ideas a try:

• Make biscuit breakfast sandwiches with eggs and cheese.
• Serve biscuits with your favorite soup. It’s better than dumplings!
• Use biscuit dough to make pizza crust. Partially bake the dough before adding toppings.
• Warm biscuits with butter and jelly satisfy every time.
• Serve biscuits with pork chops, pork loins, or pulled pork.
• BBQ and biscuits hit the spot, too. They soak up the juices quite well.
• Whenever you have fresh fish, serve homemade biscuits. Catfish and biscuits are particularly delicious.
• Who likes tomato sandwiches during the summer? When fresh tomatoes ripen on the vine, slice them up while they’re warm. Add a little bit of mayonnaise and sprinkle of salt and sandwich them between two warm biscuits.
• Don’t forget dessert. Biscuits make an excellent base for strawberry shortcake. Just add a little sugar to your dough to sweeten it. You’ll make up the rest of the sweetness with the strawberries and whipped cream.

Use #ButtermilkBiscuitDay to post on social media.