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Is it time to rethink the flaky biscuit?
Dec. 07, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs

Who says biscuits have to be flaky?

Rose Tyndall did. She was my college instructor 27 years ago. I was on the path to becoming a dietitian, and Tyndall taught me how to bake – and how to evaluate – the perfect biscuit.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was also learning the value of trans fats, from a food service perspective. What we’ve learned since the 1970s should tell us that it’s sometimes wise to rethink expectations about our favorite foods – how they should look, feel and taste.

Biscuits are a great example.

From the podium in that theater classroom at Michigan State University, Tyndall, who could have passed for Aunt Bee but for her Texas drawl, told us the key to flakiness – the mark of a good biscuit or pie crust – was using what in the business is called a “plastic fat.” Lard, butter, margarine and solid shortening are plastic fats. After the fat is cut into the flour, the two interact during baking to form flaky sheets of dough.

Back then, we didn’t know to care about saturated fat. Blood cholesterol levels of 300 mg/dl were considered normal. The ills of trans fat were yet to be discovered. So, we didn’t know to question the gobs of bad fats that came along with the plastic fats used to make a good biscuit.

Things are different now. We know those bad fats are linked to an increased risk for coronary artery disease. But we still expect our biscuits (and pie crusts) to be flaky.

And the biscuits haven’t changed. We’re paying a big price for those flaky biscuits.

One plain, Hardees “made from scratch” biscuit has a whopping 23 grams of fat. Five of those are saturated fat. One plain Bojangles biscuit contains 12 grams of fat, with three grams of saturated fat. (Add bacon, egg and cheese and you’re up to an artery-clogging 42 grams of fat, with 14 grams of saturated fat). Neither company Web site provides information about the trans fat content of their products.

One plain McDonald’s biscuit contains 7 grams of saturated fat and 1.5 grams of trans fat. Even Bisquick biscuit mix contains 2.5 grams of trans fat per one third cup serving. Frozen, ready-to-bake products aren’t any better. Pillsbury Oven-Baked Buttermilk biscuits each contain 2.5 grams of saturated fat and 4 grams of trans fat.

That’s a lot of bad fat. Its purpose? To give these foods the mouth-feel and appearance we’ve always known.

What’s the alternative?

There is none, other than developing a liking for something different.

Substituting whole wheat rolls, loaf bread, English muffins or cornbread – homemade with vegetable oil – are options. At breakfast, have toast. Or you could experiment with making your biscuits at home using vegetable oil or margarine that’s free of trans fat and low in saturated fat.

If you try baking your own trans fat-free biscuits, be prepared for denser biscuits that would have gotten you a failing grade for texture three decades ago in Introductory Foods 101.

But maybe that’s OK, especially if they taste great. Set your own standards of excellence to include not only flavor but nutritional value, too.

If you do, it may help bring about changes away from home as well.

Knowing how entrenched our preferences are for particular characteristics in foods – and what a radical difference ingredient changes can make – makes it easier to understand the challenge food companies have in getting the trans fat out. After all, they’re in the business of giving us what we want.

Which makes this a great time to rethink our ideas about what we want from a biscuit.