For fifteen years, food writer Belinda Ellis traveled around the country for the White Lily flour company, teaching people to make biscuits and listening to their stories. "I learned that deep in the soul of a biscuit, there's more than the flour, fat, and milk. A hot biscuit embodies a memory of place and family," she writes. Ellis's heartfelt tribute to the biscuit celebrates the many possible flavors and uses for this classic southern bread. The first recipe in the book is a master recipe with step-by-step photographs showing how to make the perfect biscuit.

In an evocative and enlightening introduction, Ellis delights readers with biscuit history and its intimate connections with southern culture and foodways. The book's 55 recipes range from traditional to inventive offering a biscuit for every occasion: Flaky Butter Biscuits; John Egerton's Beaten Biscuits; Pancetta, Rosemary, and Olive Oil Biscuits; and The Southern Reuben.