Buttery, soft, and made completely from scratch, this easy homemade biscuit recipe deserves a permanent place in your recipe repertoire. This recipe is made with all butter, no shortening!
With just 6 ingredients that I bet you already have on hand, these homemade biscuits are so simple to make and I’ve included plenty of tips (and a video!) to make sure you end up with perfect biscuits every single time.
Two reasons I’m super excited to share this homemade biscuit recipe with you today:
One: because homemade biscuits are delicious (obviously) and they’re so easy to make. So many people buy the canned version without realizing that they already have all of the ingredients to make them from scratch in their pantry.
The taste of a pre-made biscuit doesn’t hold a candle to a homemade biscuit. Not. even. close. Preservatives and artificial flavors, you aren’t welcome here.
Two: because ever since I started working on this biscuit recipe a few weeks ago, “Mind Your Own Biscuits” by Kacey Musgraves has been stuck in my head and I’ve been singing it off-key relentlessly.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Kacey Musgraves and her music, but every time I start singing my dog starts actually crying. It’s sad and hilarious, and if I wasn’t so embarrassed by my terrible singing voice I would have shared a video of it by now. Hopefully, by publishing this recipe I’ll release myself from the endless refrain and the animal abuse will finally stop.
But let’s talk more about the first reason.
Homemade biscuits call for just six ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, and milk. And then more butter once they’re finished baking because of course we need more butter.
I mentioned that these biscuits are easy so do not be alarmed by all the tips that I have for you below. These biscuits are easy, but technique matters and I want to arm you with all the information that you need so that you can make these easily and have them come out perfectly the very first time.
The tips are simple but important, and while some more seasoned bakers already know them, I want to give everyone an even playing field.
Tips for Making Homemade Biscuits
- The butter and milk for this recipe need to be as cold as possible for fluffy and soft biscuits. I freeze my butter before using it and recommend keeping the milk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the dry ingredients.
- Don’t overwork the dough! Keep in mind that you want your butter to stay as cold as possible when making these biscuits, and the more you have your hands on the dough the softer the butter will become. Definitely don’t use an electric mixer for this recipe.
- We’re going to do a little bit of laminating. This means folding the dough over itself multiple times (5-6 times here) to encourage flaky layers in our biscuits. You can watch the video below to see exactly how this is done.
- Don’t use a rolling pin, use your hands to gently work the dough into a flat rectangle before cutting out your biscuits.
- Don’t be afraid to add flour to the dough if it’s too sticky while you are handling it (and make sure to work on a lightly floured surface).
Visual clue: If you look at the pre-baked biscuit below, you’ll see that you can actually see the butter pieces in the dough. This is what you want, the ingredients won’t be well-combined like with a cookie dough and seeing bits of butter means you’ve actually done everything right here. Hooray!
A Few Notes on Butter in Homemade Biscuits
The butter is possibly the most important part of this recipe, and the way you handle it can make or break your homemade biscuits.
While you can certainly use a pastry cutter to cut your butter into the dry ingredients, I recommend freezing your butter for about 30 minutes before beginning. Then, use a box grater to grate the butter before combining this in with your dry ingredients.
I use this technique in my scone recipes and highly recommend it with these biscuits, too. Not only is it much easier than using a pastry cutter, but it does a great job of finely shredding and distributing the butter throughout the mixture without overworking the butter (remember, you want to manage the butter as little as possible so that it’s as cold as possible when going into the oven).
Alternatively you could also use a food processor (like I do with my pie crust recipe), but it’s just so easy to grate in the butter that I always use this method instead.
And yes, I do recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe and then adding salt. If you want to know more about why I write my recipes this way, you can read all about it (and an easy substitution if you only have salted butter on hand) in this post that I wrote about salted vs unsalted butter.
I know I’ve mentioned to you guys a few times that I’ve been working on a baking contest/challenge/I’m really not sure what to call it, but I’m planning a post where I encourage all of you to bake along with me. The goal is to get people baking recipes they may have not tried before, and I’m encouraging everyone to share their results for a chance to win a small prize.
Well, today’s homemade biscuit recipe is essentially the base for the baking challenge that I’ll be sharing in exactly one week, so take this as a hint that making today’s recipe is a great way to get a jump start for the challenge!
To make sure you’re among the first to be notified of all new recipes and baking challenges, make sure you’re subscribed to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you get a free e-book of 8 of my favorite cookie recipes.
Enjoy!
How to Make Homemade Biscuits
I know I talked a lot in this video, but I really feel that the tips are so important, and will help ensure your biscuits come out perfectly!
Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter very cold (85g), unsalted European butter is ideal, but not required
- ¾ cup whole milk¹ (177ml) buttermilk or 2% milk will also work
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).¾ cup whole milk¹
- Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable.
- Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.
- Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2 ¾" round biscuit cutter with flour.
- Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than ½" apart on baking sheet.
- Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.
- Bake on 425F for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.
- If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Penny likes to supervise the photography process. Fortunately, this setup got her vote of approval.
Ithzel Banuelos
The instructions for this were perfect. The first time I made them they turned out AMAZING. Thank you so much for your recipe, they’re to die for! So buttery and flakey!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed them, Ithzel! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no, Lisa! I am sorry that not all of your biscuits were light and fluffy. You could have overworked the dough causing the biscuits to be dense. I recommend watching the video to see how I make mine and what may have gone wrong in your process. Regardless, I am glad that they tasted delicious. 🙂
Lisa Major
Tried this recipe this morning and while they were delicious, only 2 of my biscuits rised to light and fluffy. The others were thin and crunchy but still delicious.
Laura G
Made biscuits fir the first time and these were amazingly delicious! Looking forward to having them again soon! Thank you fir the video, it was super helpful!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Laura! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Aly
These were so good and easy!!! Definitely my go to recipe now 😍 thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Aly! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Cynthia Lanane
What if you only have 2% milk and heavy cream on hand? Your thoughts?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Cynthia! Others have used 2% and had success. I hope that you do too. 🙂
Stacie Kassinger
Hello! I just made your biscuit recipe for breakfast this morning! They were very yummy! The first bite of the biscuit was great but at the end it had a bitter like metal taste. What do you think caused that? I did follow the recipe exactly except for the milk. I used a half a cup of 2% in 1/4 cup of half and half is what I saw online to substitute for whole milk. I’ve checked all of my ingredients and none of my ingredients are out of date. I just wanted your input of what you think I might have done that caused the aftertaste because I can’t wait to make them again and I want to make an adjustment so it doesn’t taste like that at the end. And what I mean by at the end of after you take a bite and your chewing it’s very delicious but then as you’re ending it to swallow it the aftertaste is that metal, soury, bitter?
Sam
Hi Stacie! I’m so sorry you are experiencing this, but I have a few things I would check. First, make sure you are using baking powder not baking soda. I know this probably isn’t the case here but it has been done and they are not the same thing. Secondly, (and probably most likely) is the baking powder itself. I have found that if you use a generic baking powder you can get that metal taste. I only use name brand baking powder when I bake for this reason. Also, if your baking powder got even the slightest bit of moisture in it at any point it could be bad which would also give you this metallic taste. I hope this helps! 🙂
Jayne
Loved making this recipe, sharing and eating these biscuits!!! Loved the frozen butter tip, I’ll be trying it with my pie crust💕Thanks for sharing some sweetness⚓️
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Jayne! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Lidija
Made this just now for Palmsunday breakfast. Absolutely amazing, fluffy, buttery, just enough salt and sugar… Thank you
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Lidija! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Karen Willard
I have made these many times since finding the recipe. This is a wonderful and easy recipe. Turns out great every time!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Karen! I am happy to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe and am glad that they have turned out perfectly each time that you have made them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Norma
I made PRIZE WINNING biscuits for over 60 years and never used sugar BUT the key to how much to knead them is mix the dough intil it is sticky and messy then sprinkle more flour on the messy dough and knead until when you pick it up in one hand it softly and lightly droops out of your hand, The less you knead/roll it the better as biscuits are very tender and working too much makes them tough. Mash/roll them to about 1/2-1″ thick and freeze extra biscuits on a cookie sheet and put in a plastic bag to bake later. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes and butter/homemade preserves/jam make them irresistable.
I always used about 4-6 cupa of flour to guarantee I had plenty to have left overs to eat later and some to freeze – time management – and it always worked for me.
YUMM
Sugar Spun Run
That is quite the record! 60 years is amazing. Thanks for sharing, Norma. 🙂
Amy Hobbs
Just made the biscuits crossing my fingers, I can’t master it yet..
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that they turn out perfectly, Amy! Fingers Crossed. 🙂
Donna
Made these biscuits today! My first try at homemade biscuits! Loved the idea of the box grater for the butter! Mixing was a breeze! Thank you for a great recipe and your grater idea!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Donna! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Ben
This is the only biscuit recipe I use because they come out perfect each time. Had been craving biscuits and gravy all week and there’s just something about these crazy times inspiring me to cook. These biscuits are just so comforting. The way they rise, the way they flake – they’re just so great. I diced up some cheddar cheese and mixed it in today – amazing!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe could bring you comfort during this time and that you enjoyed them, Ben! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Holly
These were absolutely delicious. I used salted butter and 1/2 tsp of salt. Served with a chicken tender, butter, honey and hot sauce. Looking forward to another one later with butter and jelly and a cup of tea.
Sugar Spun Run
Yum! What a perfect combo, Holly! I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Celina
I just made a batch of these for the first time and let me tell you they were so good I will definitely save this recipe and make more in the future
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Celina! Thanks for trying my recipe! 🙂
Brooke
Love the recipe! I thought they turned out delicious and thick but they were heavy. Are they supposed to be heavy or light and fluffy?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Brooke! They should be light, fluffy and flaky in texture. If they were dense two things come to mind… You may have over measured the flour or overworked the dough. Over measuring the flour is a common mistake in baking so I have created a guide that can be used as a reference for next time. Regardless, I am glad that they tasted delicious. 🙂