Homemade Biscuits

Delicious, homemade Biscuits that are full of soft, flaky layers and perfect for slathering honey and butter on them or enjoying with hamburger gravy! Don’t be intimidated by making them from scratch. Tips and tricks to get the perfect biscuits!

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If you’ve never made homemade biscuits before, it can be intimidating the first time! So, I’m sharing my favorite fool-proof recipe for soft, flaky biscuits that turn out amazing every time.

I love shortcut biscuits from a can and use them all the time, but there really isn’t a comparison with homemade ones. The flavor and texture just can’t be beat!

So, I love to surprise my family with homemade biscuits – you can serve them for breakfast with scrambled eggs or use them for biscuits and gravy! Or make them for dinner to go with fried chicken or a cozy bowl of chili.

Why This Recipe Works

• This is simple recipe that has only six ingredients!
• I sharing all of my tips for making the best biscuits that puff up while they bake and are so flaky, soft and delicious.
• You don’t need any special tools and there’s nothing complicated – just follow the recipe and then devour your biscuits warm from the oven!

Ingredients

What I love about this recipe is that I usually have the ingredients on hand so it’s easy to whip up a batch whenever we get a craving.

I like to make biscuits with all-purpose flour because it’s what I use the most for baking. I hate when a recipe calls for a special flour that I only use once!

I think buttermilk makes the best biscuits, but I don’t always have it. So, instead of a trip to the store, I make DIY buttermilk which is really easy! You can also use 2% milk or whole milk if that’s all you have available.

You will also need butter – really cold butter! Cold butter is key to making flaky biscuits, so I like to stick my butter in the freezer before I make the biscuits so it’s really cold when I’m ready to use it.

Baking powder is also in the recipe which is what leavens the biscuits as they bake.

Finally, you’ll need some salt for seasoning and a little sugar to add a touch of sweetness.

How to Make Them

Mix the dry ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.

Cut in the butter: There are two ways to cut in the butter – with a pastry cutter or box grater. For the pastry cutter, first cut the butter into small pieces and then use the cutter to cut the butter into the flour. For the box grater, take the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients. Either way, the butter should be worked into the dough so it resembles small peas.

Make the dough: Add the buttermilk and stir just until the dough comes together.

Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it with your hands about 10 to 15 times. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour.

Laminate the dough: Once you’ve kneaded it, you will need to create layers in the dough which is called laminating. Take the dough and fold it over itself and gently flatten it. Rotate it 90 degrees and fold and flatten it again. Repeat this process five to six more times.

Cut out the biscuits: Pat the dough so it’s approximately one inch thick. Cut out the biscuits using a lightly floured cutter. Gently press the cutter into the dough and try to avoid smooshing the dough down. There is enough dough to make six biscuits. You will need to reword the dough scraps to cut out this many.

Bake! Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake them at 425°F for about 12 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden.

Simple Ways to Serve Them!

You can serve these biscuits with so many dishes sweet or savory. Here are some tips for serving them!

• If I am serving them with dinner, I love to brush them with salted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. That way, they’ll pair perfectly with so many savory dishes.
• For breakfast, brunch, or a snack I love to split one open and slather it with butter or cinnamon butter! A drizzle of honey is always nice, too, or top it with a favorite jelly or jam like my rhubarb jam.

Feeling inspired to make homemade biscuits? You are going to love these flaky, buttery bites warm from the oven – you’ll want to make them every week! Want in all in one Biscuits and Gravey recipe? Make this easy Biscuits and Gravy Casserole.

More Baking Recipes

• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are incredibly soft and buttery just like the restaurant version!
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits are savory and cheesy – perfect with a bowl of soup or stew!
• There’s nothing better than homemade buttery, flaky Crescent Rolls! You’ll skip the can when you give this recipe a try.
• Rosemary Bread has the best flavor and is so soft and delicious!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

5 from 5 votes

Homemade Biscuits Recipe

Light, fluffy and soft biscuits that are made with pantry staples!

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:12 minutes mins

Total:27 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons butter very cold, we recommend freezing butter for 10-20 minutes before using
• ▢ ¾ cup buttermilk 2% or whole milk will also work in a pinch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix until combined and set aside.
• Remove butter from the freezer. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs that are about pea sized. A box grater can also be used to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture.
• Add milk to the flour mixture. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.
• Generously flour a surface and transfer the biscuit dough to the floured surface. Using your hands, gently work the dough together and knead 10-15 times. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky until you can easily work with the dough.
• Fold dough over itself and gently flatten layers together using your hands. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat folding about 5-6 times. Be careful not to overwork dough.
• After folding 5-6 times pat the dough to ¾’’ – 1’’ thickness. Lightly dust a 2 ¾’’ round biscuit cutter with flour.
• Gently press the biscuit cutter straight into dough and drop the biscuit on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used, making close cuts.
• With any leftover dough, gently rework into ¾’’ – 1’’ thickness and cut more biscuits out. You should have at least 6 biscuits at the end.
• Place biscuits in a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 12 minutes or until the tops are beginning to turn golden brown.
• Brush with salted butter immediately after removing from the oven if desired.

Tips

Butter Tip: For the best biscuits, your butter needs to be really cold! If your butter is warm, it will not make flaky layers.

Dough Tip: Work fast to incorporate the butter into the flour. The longer you work it, the warmer it will get.

Kneading and Laminating Tip: Both of these steps are important. The kneading develops the gluten in the flour, and the laminating creates the flaky layers. The key is not to over-knead or work the dough too hard – this will result in dense, tough biscuits. So, use a light hand and do it all gently without working the dough too much.

Why didn’t my biscuits rise?

Most likely it’s because your baking powder is expired. Before you make your biscuits, be sure and check that it’s fresh.

Can you freeze them?

Yes, you can freeze them. You can freeze the dough after cutting them out. Keep the biscuit dough rounds in a freezer container and then when you’re ready for fresh-baked biscuits, pop them in the oven. You don’t need to thaw them first but you will need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Can you refrigerate the dough?

Yes, you can make the dough a day in advance and refrigerate it. For best results, I recommend cutting out the biscuits and chilling them instead of chilling the dough in one lump.

Can you use self-rising flour?

I haven’t tested this recipe with self-rising flour because it already has baking powder and salt in it. I like to use all-purpose flour because it’s what I always have on hand

How long do biscuits keep?

Leftover biscuits will keep for two to three days at room temperature. They are definitely best warm from the oven, though!

 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 395kcal (20%), Carbohydrates: 62g (21%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 12g (18%), Saturated Fat: 7g (44%), Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 30mg (10%), Sodium: 491mg (21%), Potassium: 290mg (8%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 2g (2%), Vitamin A: 350IU (7%), Calcium: 102mg (10%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

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We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.