Frequently Asked Questions: What are the advantages of using shortening instead of butter?
Flakiness: Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, so it can create flakier layers in biscuits.
Tenderness: Biscuits made with shortening tend to be more tender than those made with butter.
Can I substitute butter if I don't have shortening on hand?
Yes! You can substitute butter with shortening at a 1:1 ratio. So in this case you would substitute ½ cup cold butter for the ½ cup cold shortening.
If substituting use unsalted butter or lessen the amount of salt you but into the recipe to compensate.
Procedure: The method remains largely the same. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs and proceed with the rest of the steps as usual.Note: While shortening can give a great texture to the biscuits, it lacks the richer flavor of butter. Some people compromise by using half butter and half shortening to get both the flakiness and the buttery flavor.