Here’s another questions for the cooks:
I’m making biscuits using a baking mix from my local chain grocery store (Ralph’s in So. Calif.) I follow the directions almost precisely yet my biscuits turn out somewhat doughy in the center, not fluffy like I’d get with store-bought dough say from Pillsbury.
Do any of our chefs have a suggestion as to how to get fluffy centers? Do I need to add something? Roll the dough longer? Anything else?
Thanks for all your help!
Cook them a little bit longer.
Are you preheating the oven? This can make a big difference when baking. I learned this in a thread about preheating the oven and it’s true. Your biscuits will rise better, too.
And check the expiration date. Baking powder has a pretty short (6 mo?) shelf life.
Also, don’t over-mix.
Peace,
mangeorge
and check the temperature of your oven. Just because you set it to the right temperature doesnt mean its whats registering inside. Use a reliable oven thermometer.
Also make sure that you don’t squish the dough together. Just fold over the dough. Then you get those nice flaky layers.
one more:
If you cook the biscuits in something dark colored or glass you may need to decrease the temp by 25 deg. (and cook a bit longer if in glass. Work the dough as little as possible, too.
I second the oven thermometer recommendation. You’d be surprised how off the thermostat in some ovens can be.
Second, be sure you’re not overworking the dough, be VERY gentle with it. You just need to get it all mixed together, if you work it too much you’ll develop more gluten than you want.
Third, why use a mix? Biscuits are really easy to make from scratch… just my opinion.
Hey, everyone, thanks for the replies. To answer:
Reeder: I have, by about 2-4 mins. Still doughy inside. 
kniz Yes, I’m pre-heating it and using a thermometer to make sure it’s at the correct temp (or very close) when I put the biscuits in.
mangeorge I’ll check the expiration date before I buy a box. Thanks for the tip.
X~Slayer(ALE) done and done.
BobT Hrm… good point. I have been working it a bit. I’ll try to do it less. Thanks for the pointers.
msgotrocks I’m using a baking sheet (made of metal, aluminum, I guess) with a sheet of foil atop it.
TeleTronOne Thanks. I’ll work the dough as little as possible. Okay, I’ll get out my recipe book and see how to do biscuits from scratch. You think it would be alright to call up the spirit of my dead grandmother and ask her for baking tips? 
As said by BobT, and your consequent post, overrolling is prolly the cause of a doughy center. Basically, with biscuits, don’t overwork them in the rolling out stage, use a hot oven,425, and put them veryclose together on the pan. They raise mighty high that way.
If you are gonna do 'em from scratch, the best :), keep your butter cold, and dice it into tiny pieces quickly, then put it in with the dry ingredients. Don’t mess with a fork or pastry blender, just use your fingers to quickly mix the flour with the butter. The finger motion is: put your fingers all together in a bunch, and touch your thumb to the bunch, like your whole hand is pinching something. With that construct, ya rub the dry ingredients and butter together, rolling your thumbs and fingers together. Sounds complicated in print, but easy in real space. Cut, or drop, the biscuits, soon after rolling, and put em right in the hot oven.
Hope this helps.
elelle, known for tasty biscuits…
Oh, and, when adding the liquid, to my mind always buttermilk, never just dump it in. Put a little in, in a stream, stir with a wooden spoon, add a bit more, stir, and gauge the liquid added. For a normal batch of biscuits, it’s about a cup, but there’s always some variation, depending on all variables—batch of flour, air temp, humidity, etc. The liquid added is in the variable stage.
Did I tell you I am particularly observant with biscuits? 
Okay, I’ve just finished baking and eating a batch of biscuits. urp
Well, I followed your suggestions. The oven was pre-heated and at 450F. I didn’t over mix the dough, I rolled it only a few times (3 or 4) and folded it that many times, too. I mixed in the milk slowly, rather than pouring it all in at once.
And the centers are still somewhat doughy.
Let me explain. There’s the crust of the biscuit, the baked outer shell, there’s the fluffy part, right under the shell and then there’s the center, which is not as fluffy as the part right by the crust/shell. It’s the center I’m wondering about. It’s not as fluffy as the rest of the biscuit. I know, this isn’t easy to convey in words, I wish you could be here, physically to see/taste/feel what my biscuits are like.
Any other suggestions for my biscuits? I’m going to buy some more baking powder and even get the ingredients for doing it from scratch. I’m also thinking of using a “name brand” mix rather than the store generic. Of course, I’m making sure of the expiration date.
One more point. I’m using fat-free milk. I’m mixing that from powder, too. Would that make a difference? elelle I’ll try using some butter milk and see if that works well, too!
Thanks for your help, everyone!
Here’s what my Beard on Bread says:
Maybe yours are too close together? I’m with elelle too on the made-from-scratch. Really doesn’t take much more time to make homemade, and the difference in taste is astronomical. I use a pastry blender and shortening instead of butter. I’ve also found that I like drop biscuits better than rolled.
I think practice will make perfect in your case. BTW, in regards to powdered milk, my Laurel’s Kitchen recommends adding the powder in with the dry ingredients.
Good luck !
If you’re comparing baking powder biscuits to those “flaky” Pilsbury things that are kept in the reefer, and popped out of the can when needed, you won’t get that same layering effect.
Try from scratch, maybe a little lower temp (425), and if that’s still not to your liking you might go back to the prepared kind. Or you can make yeast raised biscuits. They can be flaky, but a bit more trouble.
Also, let the biscuits “rest” for just a couple minutes before you butter them.
Peace,
mangeorge
I believe this may be your problem. The foil is acting as an insulator between the bisquits and the baking sheet. And aluminum foil is actually better at conducting heat from objects that transferring heat to them.
Whaaa…??? Anything that conducts heat one way can conduct it just as easily the other way. Heat travels from highest concentration to lowest. If the baking sheet is hotter than the biscuits (and it almost certainly is) then the heat will travel from the sheet, through the foil into the biscuits. And as biscuits have a fairly high specific heat, the material the biscuits sit on makes little difference in terms of heat transfer. [/scientific rant]
You may be adding slightly too much liquid. They don’t rise as well if you don’t add enough, and don’t cook properly if there’s too much. Because flour varies, you need to determine the right amount of liquid by checking the consistency of the dough rather than following a precise recipe. Once you get it right a few times, you’ll wonder how it was ever possible to get it wrong.
Freyr, use buttermilk, and see if that helps. Also, just make em from scratch; mixes are overpriced, and questionable as to shelf life. Once you get it down, it’s not difficult at all, and the results are much better. Again, you don’t need to “roll” biscuits much, or fold them over. My MO is to get them just wet enough, turn them out on a floured board, and very lightly use the rolling pin to make a cohesive mass. Don’t press down too hard! After the first roll, you could fold over and , again, lightly roll again. I have a hunch that you are pressing too hard when rolling the dough. Just press enough to make it stick together.
As to spacing, I always put em just next to each other, and that makes them rise high. If you are cutting biscuits, make sure you use a sharp cutter— the ol’ standby tin cans have a dull edge and don’t work so well.
Hope this helps!
elelle, do you use baking soda in your biscuits?
Peace,
mangeorge