First a note about White Lily Flour. White Lily flour had been milled in downtown Knoxville Tennessee since 1883. However, as of June 2008, the new owner, J. M. Smucker Co., shuttered the Knoxville plant and moved production to two plants in the Midwest. Even though representatives from Smucker's claim White Lily flour is still made from the same ingredients and processes as when it was produced in Tennessee, many southern cooks and biscuit aficionados claim to notice a difference in the flour. Many feel that their biscuits come out just a little more dense, and having a texture that isn't quite as smooth as those made from the flour produced in Tennessee. The difference wasn't a big, but they could tell there was a difference. I'm not that picky and still use White Lily flour...for me (being a Yankee from the Midwest), it is still an excellent biscuit flour.

As far as I know, White Lily flour is not available in Green Bay, nor Wisconsin for that matter. However, it can be purchased through mail order catalogs, online from Smucker's, or other online sources. It is not supposed to available in my area of Northwest Indiana either, but a local Health Food outlet sometimes carries it. I usually purchase mine when visiting family in Nashville.

Other comparable Southern low-protein flour options include brands like Martha White, Gladiola, Red Band, and Melrose. Like White Lily, they run 7.5 to 9.5 percent protein and are best used for pie crusts, biscuits, quick breads and muffins. If you can't find any of these brands, Pastry flour would be the closest substitute. Pastry flour is similar to cake flour, but has a slightly higher protein content (9 percent) and less starch. It's fairly common to find pastry flour in bulk sections of grocery stores, in health food stores, through mail order catalogs, or online. Or, to make two cups of pastry flour, combine 1 1/3 cups bleached all-purpose flour (Pillsbury or Gold Medal - about 10 percent protein) with 2/3 cup cake flour (such as Queen Guinevere, Swan's Down or Softasilk - 6 to 8 percent protein - I prefer Queen Guinevere or Swan's Down to Softasilk, because Softasilk contains a leavening agent). If you need to make it self-rising, add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder per cup of mixed flours.

It's also perfectly acceptable to use regular brands of all-purpose flour if you are careful not to overwork the dough (Pillsbury and Gold Medal around 10 percent protein are OK, King Arthur at close to 11.7 percent protein is NOT so good). Your biscuits, while still delicious, just wont have as light a consistency or be as high-rising as biscuits made with White Lily.

Where do you find White Lily Flour? I live in Green Bay WI and have not seen it around here. What other brand would be good?

I have been baking biscuits for some time, and as a former newbie, (am only up to about 600 biscuits through my oven) - have decided after much variation and trials, the following "biscuit" big rules hold true:

-Whole fat yogurt is a must

-All flours and not created equal: The kind of flour you utilize makes a vast different

- Whole butter is essential

- Baking powder and baking soda brands DO matter

- The wetter the dough the better

- Do not use anything but your hands - I rinse mine in cold water first.

- Refrigerate - keep cold - the entire process

... apart from all that which I learned the hard way, I had been in search of what PROPORTIONS were best and if it was important to add that ubiquitous 1 -2 tsp of sugar, and if so, what kind. I prefer not.

So I went a-looking for recipes and I found this one, and the minute I saw it I knew it was the real deal. The only caveat I have, though I always insist on whole foods only in my kitchen (i.e. no low fat this or that, or diet this or that) - we don't keep a lot of heavy cream around.

So I would have to subst. 0.25 cups of either butter or yogurt to replace the heavy cream, and wonder what the author (who graciously provided this wonderful recipe for us) has to advice on that substitution.

Thank you...

[I made edits to this recipe.]

[I made edits to this recipe.]

The secret to these and most other biscuits is starting with a very wet dough, then dipping your hands in flour and, working very quickly, adding just enough flour for the biscuits to hold together. Sifting the flour makes the biscuits even lighter. Butter tastes much better than vegetable shortening in this recipe, and nowadays they say its better for you. Resist the urge to add more flour to the dough-the wetter the dough, and the less handling, the more tender the biscuit.

Grandma always used what she called, "soft flour". I never knew what that was...I learned later, she was using White Lily flour. White Lily flour is milled only from soft red winter wheat and is less dense and lower in gluten than flours milled from hard summer wheat.

My grandma never made round biscuits. For less work, less waste and less handling of the dough, she would pat the dough into a square, then cut into square shaped biscuits with a thin sharp knife dipped in flour. They fit quite nicely in her square biscuit pan.

[I posted this recipe.]