These home made biscuits are gentle and buttery with dozens of flaky layers. This biscuit recipe requires simply 7 elements they usually’re prepared in about 35 minutes.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new pictures, a video tutorial, and extra useful success suggestions.
One reader, Marcia, commented: “Lastly, a biscuit recipe that labored for me. I particularly appreciated the notes which, in actual fact, had me change some issues I had been doing. The element in any respect ranges, each visible and written, may be very useful. ★★★★★“
One other reader, Maggie, commented: “One among my favourite biscuit recipes! They’re so persistently flaky and scrumptious, each single time! ★★★★★“
It’s fairly serendipitous that this “facet dish” could style much more outstanding than the primary occasion. No, no… it WILL style extra outstanding. Simply take a look at the large buttery layers! Nothing can compete.
What are Biscuits?
The time period “biscuits” has totally different meanings relying the place you reside on the planet. Within the U.S., biscuits are much like a dinner roll, however are denser and flakier as a result of they aren’t (sometimes) made with yeast. Since there’s often no yeast and the rising agent is both baking soda, baking powder, or each—biscuits are thought of a fast bread, like banana bread and no yeast bread. In different elements of the world, “biscuits” are extra like cookies or scones.
7 Key Components in Selfmade Biscuits
You want simply 7 primary elements for my home made biscuits recipe:
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Chilly Butter
- Chilly Buttermilk
- Honey
With so few elements, it’s vital to succeed in for high quality elements and keep away from any substitutions.
Baking Powder AND Baking Soda
Till not too long ago, this biscuits recipe referred to as for simply baking powder because the leavening agent. Lately, I’ve discovered that the feel, colour, and taste excels when utilizing a mix of each baking powder AND baking soda. Should you’ve all the time made this recipe utilizing 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you possibly can definitely proceed to take action! Nonetheless, by lowering the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and including 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown extra, have a flakier texture, crispier edge, and also you don’t danger a bitter chemical aftertaste.
Success Suggestions for the Finest Selfmade Biscuits
After perfecting this recipe for 8 years and growing handfuls of different biscuit recipes, let me share what I’ve realized alongside the best way. I’ve made loads of errors so that you don’t should. These tried-and-true tips will flip your flat, dry biscuits into one of the best biscuits ever. And that’s a assure.
- Chilly Fats: For flaky layers and pockets, use chilly butter. When little items of butter soften because the biscuits bake, they launch steam and create little pockets of air–this makes the biscuits ethereal and flaky on the within whereas remaining crisp on the skin. It’s the identical factor that occurs when making these ham & cheese scones.
- Buttermilk & Honey for Taste: Buttermilk and a teeny drizzle of honey steadiness out the salt. Buttermilk creates probably the most tender biscuit! I’ve a lot extra on this matter in my Baking with Buttermilk publish (together with a buttermilk substitute recipe).
- Don’t Over Combine: By no means overwork biscuit dough. Overworking and over-handling biscuit dough will end in powerful, exhausting, and flat biscuits. Combine the elements collectively *simply* till mixed. Dough shall be crumbly; that’s regular.
- Flatten & Fold Technique: An important step of all is folding the dough collectively. Flip the scrappy dough out onto a piece floor and flatten it along with your palms. Fold, flatten, flip, and repeat.
- Don’t Twist the Biscuit Cutter: When reducing the dough with a biscuit cutter, don’t twist the cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough firmly. Twisting it should seal off the biscuit edges, stopping the biscuits from rising.
- Bake Shut Collectively: Biscuits stand up good and tall when they’re touching, pressed snuggly towards each other within the oven.
The right way to Make Your Selfmade Biscuits
Whisk the dry elements collectively, then add the cubed butter. Reduce the butter into the dry elements with a pastry cutter, like when making pie crust, or use a meals processor. Reduce within the butter till you might have coarse crumbles, like this:
Add the buttermilk and honey. Combine the whole lot collectively till you might have a shaggy dough, like this:
Pour it out onto a piece floor and produce the dough collectively along with your palms. Will probably be dry and shaggy with some moist spots. That’s all completely regular:
Fold & Flatten The Dough
Flattening and folding biscuit dough creates a number of flaky layers, simply because it does after we make home made croissants, tough puff pastry, mille-feuille, and croissant bread. This step will take you not more than 2 minutes and also you’ll be rewarded with the flakiest biscuits on the planet. First, form dough right into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle:
Then fold one facet into the middle:
Then the opposite facet:
Flip the folded dough horizontal, gently flatten, and start that folding course of 2 extra instances.
After you’ve folded and flattened 3 times, flatten right into a 3/4-inch rectangle as soon as once more, then use a biscuit cutter to form into rounds. Should you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you possibly can minimize into 8 to 10 squares.
Organize shut collectively in a forged iron skillet, no have to preheat it, or on a lined baking sheet. Once more, make certain the biscuits are touching so they assist one another rise good and tall.
Earlier than baking, brush the biscuits with buttermilk to assist the tops brown evenly.
Honey Butter Topping
The honey butter topping is non-obligatory, however will set your biscuits other than the remaining. When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush with melted butter + honey. You employ each elements within the biscuit dough, retaining the rely at 7 elements whole.
Serve your home made biscuits with jam or home made raspberry sauce, cinnamon butter, or biscuits and gravy—I like this specific recipe. Or a swipe of home made honey butter actually kicks it up a notch!
So Many Variations
I bake biscuits typically, and use the identical course of and success suggestions when making all of my favourite variations together with cheddar biscuits, the whole lot bagel biscuits, and zucchini biscuits. I additionally make biscuit-topped vegetable pot pie and biscuit breakfast casserole. And you’ll completely flip these into dessert with my recipes for biscuit-topped berry cobbler and home made strawberry shortcake.
I make these biscuits on virtually a weekly foundation, and what makes them successful each single time is the mixture of very chilly butter and buttermilk. Moreover, the cautious folding and flattening methodology helps produce dozens and dozens of flaky layers. Comply with the recipe beneath intently.
Bake the biscuits in a forged iron skillet, which helps the perimeters crisp up superbly. Moreover, use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the biscuits with a bit buttermilk earlier than baking.
You should use a meals processor to chop the chilly butter into the dry elements, but when you don’t personal one, you should utilize a pastry cutter as an alternative. A pastry cutter is a particularly useful baking software.
Description
These home made biscuits are gentle and buttery with lots of of flaky layers! This biscuit recipe solely requires 7 easy elements they usually’re prepared in about 35 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt collectively in a big bowl or in a giant meals processor. Whisk or pulse till mixed. Add the cubed butter and minimize into the dry elements with a pastry cutter or by pulsing a number of instances within the processor. Reduce/pulse till coarse crumbs type.
- Should you used a meals processor, pour the combination into a big bowl. Make a effectively within the heart. Pour 1 cup (240ml/g) buttermilk and drizzle honey on high. Fold the whole lot along with a big spoon or spatula till it begins to come back collectively. Don’t overwork the dough. The dough shall be shaggy and crumbly with some moist spots.
- Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work floor and gently deliver along with generously floured palms. The dough will turn out to be sticky as you deliver it collectively. Have additional flour close by and use it typically to flour your palms and work floor as wanted on this step. Utilizing floured palms, flatten right into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle as finest you possibly can. Fold one facet into the middle, then the opposite facet on high. Flip the dough horizontally. Gently flatten right into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle once more. Repeat the folding once more. Flip the dough horizontally another time. Gently flatten right into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one final time. Flatten into the ultimate 3/4-inch-thick rectangle.
- Reduce into 2.5 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Don’t twist the biscuit cutter when urgent down into the dough as a result of this seals off the perimeters of the biscuit which prevents them from totally rising.) Re-roll scraps till all of the dough is used. It’s best to have about 8–11 biscuits. Organize in a 10-inch forged iron skillet (see word) or shut collectively on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be certain the biscuits are touching.
- Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk. Bake for 20–21 minutes or till tops are golden brown.
- Take away from the oven. If including the non-obligatory topping, whisk the melted butter and honey collectively. Utilizing a pastry cutter, brush the nice and cozy biscuits with honey butter topping. Serve heat.
- Cowl leftovers tightly and retailer at room temperature or within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Baked biscuits freeze effectively for as much as 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or within the fridge, then heat as much as your liking earlier than serving. You can even freeze the biscuit dough. Put together the dough in steps 2 by 4. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap (plastic wrap is finest for freshness) and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge, then proceed with step 5. Additionally, after step 4, you possibly can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for as much as 2 days earlier than persevering with with step 5.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Pastry Cutter or Meals Processor | 2.5- or 3-inch Biscuit Cutter | 10-inch Solid Iron Skillet (or Baking Sheet with Parchment Paper) | Pastry Brush
- Baking Powder: In 2025, I up to date this recipe to make use of each baking powder and baking soda. I’ve discovered that the feel, colour, and taste excels when utilizing a mix of each. Should you’ve all the time made this recipe utilizing 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you possibly can definitely proceed to take action! Nonetheless, by lowering the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and including 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown extra, have a flakier texture, crispier edge, and also you don’t danger a bitter chemical aftertaste.
- Butter: Reduce into 1/2-inch cubes. Preserve butter as chilly as potential till you want it. I like to recommend putting the cubed butter within the freezer for about quarter-hour earlier than you start.
- Buttermilk: You’ll be able to substitute complete milk for buttermilk if desired. Nonetheless should you’d just like the tangy taste, which I extremely suggest, you can also make your individual DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of contemporary lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add sufficient milk to make 1 cup. (You want 1 cup within the recipe, plus 2 Tbsp for brushing–you should utilize common milk to brush on high.) Whisk collectively, then let sit for five minutes earlier than utilizing within the recipe. Entire milk is finest for the DIY bitter milk substitute, although decrease fats or nondairy milks work in a pinch. (In my testing, the biscuits don’t style as wealthy or rise fairly as tall utilizing lower-fat or nondairy milks.)
- Solid Iron Skillet: In case your forged iron skillet isn’t effectively seasoned, I like to recommend greasing it with a bit vegetable oil or melted butter. Brush a skinny layer of both on the underside and across the sides. No have to warmth the forged iron skillet earlier than utilizing, although you definitely can. Place within the preheated oven for quarter-hour earlier than arranging the formed biscuits in it.
- Flavors: Attempt my flavorful biscuit variations: cheddar biscuits, zucchini biscuits, and the whole lot bagel biscuits.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 biscuit
- Energy: 212
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 283.5 mg
- Fats: 9.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.5 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 25.4 mg
