These selfmade biscuits are comfortable and buttery with dozens of flaky layers. This biscuit recipe requires simply 7 substances and so they’re prepared in about 35 minutes.
I initially printed this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photographs, 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 truth, 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 “aspect dish” might style much more exceptional than the principle occasion. No, no… it WILL style extra exceptional. Simply take a look at the massive buttery layers! Nothing can compete.
What Are Biscuits?
The time period “biscuits” has completely different meanings relying on the place you reside on the planet. Within the U.S., biscuits are just 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-about a fast bread, like banana bread and no-yeast bread. In different components of the world, folks might take into account these American-style biscuits to be extra just like scones, and what they name “biscuits” are extra like what we name cookies.
7 Key Elements in Home made Biscuits
You want simply 7 fundamental substances for my selfmade biscuits recipe:
- All-Goal Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Chilly Butter
- Chilly Buttermilk
- Honey
With so few substances, it’s necessary to succeed in for high quality substances and keep away from any substitutions.
Baking Powder AND Baking Soda
Till not too long ago, this biscuits recipe known as for simply baking powder because the leavening agent. In recent times, I’ve discovered that the feel, coloration, and taste excels when utilizing a mixture of each baking powder AND baking soda. In case you’ve at all times made this recipe utilizing 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you possibly can definitely proceed to take action! Nonetheless, by decreasing the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and including 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown extra, have a flakier texture, crispier edges, and also you don’t threat a bitter chemical aftertaste.
Success Ideas for the Finest Home made Biscuits
After perfecting this recipe over the previous 8 years and creating different biscuit recipes, let me share what I’ve discovered alongside the best way. I’ve made loads of errors so that you don’t need to. These tried-and-true methods will flip your flat, dry biscuits into the most effective biscuits ever. And that’s a assure.
- Chilly Fats: For flaky layers, 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 loads extra on this subject 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, laborious, and flat biscuits. Combine the substances collectively *simply* till mixed. Dough will probably be crumbly; that’s regular.
- Flatten & Fold Methodology: Crucial step of all is folding the dough collectively. Flip the scrappy dough out onto a piece floor and flatten it together 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 can 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 in opposition to each other within the oven.
The way to Make Your Home made Biscuits
Whisk the dry substances collectively, then add the cubed butter. Reduce the butter into the dry substances with a pastry cutter, like when making pie crust, or pulse in a meals processor. Reduce/mix within the butter till you’ve gotten coarse crumbles, like this:
Add the buttermilk and honey. Combine every part collectively till you’ve gotten a shaggy dough, like this:
Pour it out onto a piece floor and produce the dough collectively together with your palms. It is going to 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 once we make selfmade croissants, tough puff pastry, selfmade cruffins, 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 rectangle, about 3/4-inch thick:
Then fold one aspect into the middle:
Then the opposite aspect:
Flip the folded dough 90 levels so it’s now horizontal, gently flatten, and repeat that folding course of 2 extra instances.
After you’ve folded and flattened 3 instances, flatten right into a 3/4-inch rectangle as soon as once more, then use a biscuit cutter to form into rounds. In case you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you possibly can reduce into 8 to 10 squares.
Organize shut collectively in a forged iron skillet (no must preheat it), or on a lined baking sheet. Once more, ensure that the biscuits are touching so they may 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-compulsory, however will set your biscuits other than the remainder. When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush with melted butter + honey. You employ each substances within the biscuit dough, conserving the depend at 7 substances whole.
Serve your selfmade biscuits with jam or selfmade raspberry sauce, cinnamon butter, or biscuits and gravy—I really like this specific recipe. Or a swipe of selfmade 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, every part bagel biscuits, and zucchini biscuits. I additionally make biscuit-topped vegetable pot pie and biscuit breakfast casserole. And you may completely flip these into dessert with my recipes for biscuit-topped berry cobbler and selfmade strawberry shortcake.
I make these biscuits on nearly a weekly foundation, and what makes them successful each single time is the mix of very chilly butter and buttermilk. Moreover, the cautious folding and flattening technique helps produce dozens and dozens of flaky layers. Observe the recipe beneath carefully.
Bake the biscuits in a forged iron skillet, which helps the sides crisp up superbly. Moreover, use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the biscuits with slightly buttermilk earlier than baking.
You should use a meals processor to chop the chilly butter into the dry substances, but when you don’t personal one, you should use a pastry cutter as an alternative. A pastry cutter is a particularly useful baking device.
Description
These selfmade biscuits are comfortable and buttery with a whole lot of flaky layers! This biscuit recipe solely requires 7 easy substances and so they’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 in a big bowl or in a massive meals processor. Whisk or pulse till mixed. Add the cubed butter and reduce into the dry substances with a pastry cutter or by pulsing a number of instances within the processor. Reduce/pulse till coarse crumbs type.
- In case you used a meals processor, pour the combination into a big bowl. Make a properly within the heart. Pour 1 cup (240ml/g) buttermilk into the properly and drizzle honey on prime. Utilizing a big spoon or spatula, fold till it begins to return collectively. Don’t overwork the dough. The dough will probably 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 develop into sticky as you deliver it collectively. Have further 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 greatest you possibly can. Fold one aspect into the middle, then the opposite aspect on prime. Flip the dough 90 levels, so it’s now horizontal. 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 sides of the biscuit which prevents them from absolutely rising.) Re-roll scraps till all of the dough is used. You need to have about 8–11 biscuits. Organize in a 10-inch forged iron skillet (see Notice) or shut collectively on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure that 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-compulsory topping, whisk the melted butter and honey collectively. Utilizing a pastry brush, 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 properly 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 too freeze the biscuit dough. Put together the dough in steps 2 by means of 4. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap (plastic wrap is greatest 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, coloration, and taste excels when utilizing a mixture of each. In case you’ve at all times made this recipe utilizing 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you possibly can definitely proceed to take action! Nonetheless, by decreasing the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and including 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown extra, have a flakier texture, crispier edges, and also you don’t threat a bitter chemical aftertaste.
- Butter: Reduce into 1/2-inch cubes. Maintain butter as chilly as attainable 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 may substitute entire milk for buttermilk if desired. Nonetheless in case you’d just like the tangy taste, which I extremely advocate, you may make your personal DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of recent 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 use common milk to brush on prime.) Whisk collectively, then let sit for five minutes earlier than utilizing within the recipe. Complete milk is greatest for the DIY bitter milk substitute, although lower-fat 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 properly seasoned, I like to recommend greasing it with slightly vegetable oil or melted butter. Brush a skinny layer of both on the underside and across the sides. No must 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: Strive my flavorful biscuit variations: cheddar biscuits, zucchini biscuits, and every part bagel biscuits.
Diet
- Serving Dimension: 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