What Chain's Biscuits Beat Grandma's?

In the South, making good biscuits is almost a religion. Secrets, both of recipe and procedure, are kept tightly guarded, passed usually from mother to daughter and rarely, if ever, written down.

In Texas, where biscuits and gravy are just about the official state breakfast, restaurants rise and fall solely on the quality of their biscuits. Be they big as a doorstop or small as a silver dollar, if they're not light, flaky and capable of drinking up copious amounts of butter, they'll be summarily rejected.

This is not to slight the baking efforts of the rest of the country. Every region has its own specialty, and all are worthy of praise. But biscuit craft has undergone the greatest adoption by fast-food titans. For good or ill, just about every drive-through joint that does breakfast has its own version of "homemade" biscuits. McDonald's, in an interestingly honest choice of words, refers to its as "homemade-tasting," as it's obvious the biscuit in your bag didn't come from the manager's home Kenmore oven.

That's not to say that all these biscuits are bad. Far from it. Overall, the quality of the offerings was surprisingly good. With the exception of one, none would pass for your Aunt Martha's, but considering the time and effort involved in making homemade biscuits, the drive-through is a fair trade. In this article, we'll match up the breakfast biscuits of all the major chains (sorry, KFC) and find a winner. All biscuits were eaten plain, without butter or jelly.

All biscuits are graded on an A-F scale for appearance, texture and taste. Nutritional information, if available, is provided for each biscuit.

Burger King: 260 calories, 13 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 790 mg sodium, 31 grams carbs

This was a dead-up-the-middle average biscuit. The crust was a bit leathery, but not unpleasant, and the center was slightly gummy but melted nicely on the tongue. The taste was a bit floury, with not much of a buttery finish. Final grade: C+.

Jack In The Box: 190 calories, 9 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 24 grams carbs.

The Jack In The Box biscuit was the smallest one in the test, and one of the smallest in flavor, as well. There was little difference in taste between crust and middle, and no buttery note at all. JIB has done a great job of pushing the breakfast envelope with other offerings, but the biscuits lagged with a final grade of D.

McDonald's: 240 calories, 11 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 680 mg sodium, 31 grams carbs

As far as appearance, this was one of the best, with a golden-brown crust topping a nice, tall biscuit. The flavor, however, was a bit of a letdown. That crust that looked so appetizing was tough and leathery, and the middle, while buttery, left a strong greasy aftertaste that wasn't pleasant. Final grade: C

Hardee's: 190 calories, 9 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 24 grams carbs

Hardee's offering looked the most like a homemade biscuit of any in the test. It was a little taller on one side than the other, and not perfectly round. It also tasted very close to homemade, with just enough buttery smoothness and a light crust. It was a bit doughy in the middle, missing an excellent lightness by just a touch. Final grade: A-

Chick-fil-A: 260 calories, 11 grams fat, 0 cholesterol, 670 mg sodium, 38 grams carbs

If your grandmother is anywhere near your computer, now would be the time to shepherd her out of the room.

Is she gone?

OK. Chick-fil-A biscuits are at least as good as hers. These are light, fluffy, lightly buttery marvels that taste like they're produced by an army of highly experienced grandmothers living somewhere in the back of the restaurant. The crust is perfect, lightly brown and slightly crispy, and the middle simply melts in your mouth. Final grade: A+.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, and if you choose carefully, it can also be the most satisfying. Biscuit craft has improved by leaps and bounds in the drive-through world, and you just might be surprised!