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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Breads (Yeast & Quick Breads)

    Easy Homemade Biscuits

    Updated: Apr 25, 2018 โ€ข Published: Apr 25, 2018 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 10,238 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Homemade Biscuits

    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.

    Freshly baked homemade biscuits

    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.

    Brushing melted butter on a freshly baked homemade biscuit

    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.

    Homemade Biscuit Dough

    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!

    Buttery biscuit dough cut into 2 ยพ" rounds

    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.

    A buttery soft homemade biscuit in a basket

    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!

    YouTube video

    flaky biscuit on white cloth

    Homemade Biscuits

    This recipe can be doubled to make 12 biscuits.
    4.97 from 4766 votes
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    Course: Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 27 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 biscuits
    Calories: 280kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    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

    • Box grater
    • Biscuit cutter

    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

    ¹I use whole milk, but others have used buttermilk and 2% milk with success!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 399IU | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Penny likes to supervise the photography process. Fortunately, this setup got her vote of approval.

    Penny dog supervising the biscuit shoot

    A tray full of warm homemade biscuits

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Net

      May 09, 2021 at 4:25 pm

      5 stars
      I’m a biscuit making novice for sure. This recipe is awesome! No more frozen biscuits in this house. Couldn’t be easier, tastier or flakier!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 09, 2021 at 9:20 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Kenni

        May 15, 2021 at 6:46 pm

        Iโ€™m not sure if someone already asked this question but would it be possible to add cheese to these?

        Reply
        • Sam

          May 15, 2021 at 9:39 pm

          Sure thing! ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Aeyre

      May 09, 2021 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      Iโ€™ve already reviewed this recipe because itโ€™s so amazing, but I had to come back (for probably the last time) to say that Iโ€™ve now used it so frequently I have it memorized! They are a hit every time, never going back to pilsbury again lol, sorry doughboy!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 09, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        Thank you so much, Aeyre! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Elizabeth

        May 15, 2021 at 9:47 am

        Can I ask why you use all purpose and not self rising flour? Ready to try these out but Iโ€™ve always used self rising when making biscuits!

        Reply
        • Sam

          May 15, 2021 at 1:38 pm

          Self rising flour includes baking powder and salt, which this recipe has already accounted for. If you were to use self-rising they would have far too much of these ingredients and be very salty. I believe it is possible to do a substitution, but haven’t tried it myself.

    3. Susan

      May 08, 2021 at 3:17 pm

      These are the best I have ever made. AND they freeze beautifully. I just put them in a cold oven, set for 275 F, turn it off after about 15 minutes and let them sit a few minutes longer. I wish my printer was t broken. Iโ€™d hate to lose this one.

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 08, 2021 at 10:24 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Susan! I’ll make sure to keep this recipe up. If something ever happens and you can’t find it you can reach out and I will send it over to you. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Rhon

        May 23, 2021 at 9:40 am

        Can I omit the 1 tsp salt and use salted butter?

        Reply
        • Sam

          May 23, 2021 at 2:48 pm

          I would just cut the salt a heaping 1/4 teaspoon here. ๐Ÿ™‚

        • Susan

          May 23, 2021 at 3:06 pm

          I use salted butter and donโ€™t add any salt. I really love these biscuits.

    4. Gwen

      May 08, 2021 at 9:51 am

      5 stars
      These biscuits were amazing, I’ve always been intimated by making my own biscuits but your recipe and instructions worked great! No more canned or frozen biscuits in this house! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 08, 2021 at 10:26 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Gwen! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    5. Retsuko

      May 06, 2021 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      I was a little scared to make biscuits but I am glad I found this recipe. The instructions were clear and detailed. The biscuits were delicious! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 06, 2021 at 10:40 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Brian

        May 08, 2021 at 6:53 pm

        I’m from Texas made these for my amigos in the Yucatan mx where I moved they absolutely loved them now if I could just get white gravy down without burning and running it everytime I could give them a real Texas breakfast thanks sooo much very easy recipe

        Reply
        • Sam

          May 08, 2021 at 9:42 pm

          I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Brian! ๐Ÿ™‚

    6. widelatitude

      May 05, 2021 at 10:55 am

      5 stars
      I’ve been failing at biscuits for a year. These made me a success. Thank you for the detailed instructions!

      Reply
    7. Alex

      May 04, 2021 at 2:32 pm

      5 stars
      Sam, this recipe is down right excellent. Ever since the pandemic I have made my wife biscuits and gravy on the weekends to make up for not being able to get to brunch. My gravy skills have been honed and perfected but I was using box made biscuits until now.

      Such a shame it took me a year to try these from scratch. This was so easy to make and with your tips (the video was huge this helped me understand what you were doing so much better than just reading it) it really speed up the learning curve. Thank you! I will be looking through your other recipes now, you have yourself another follower that is for sure.

      One question, you mentioned somewhere maybe in the video that unsalted butter is better, especially if itโ€™s European style, what is the difference / benefit of using European style butter? I have never purchased it before, you have a brand you recommend?

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 08, 2021 at 10:12 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Alex! European butter has a higher fat content which in turn makes the biscuits a little more moist and flavorful. I typically use Plugra or Kerrygold. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Janis

      May 03, 2021 at 11:19 pm

      5 stars
      These were the best biscuits that I’ve ever made! So dang good! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

      Reply
    9. Dort

      May 03, 2021 at 9:59 pm

      5 stars
      At last, a recipe that turns out tall and flaky biscuits! These are the best I’ve ever made!

      Reply
    10. Jesse

      May 03, 2021 at 8:34 pm

      5 stars
      Iโ€™ve been craving a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit but you canโ€™t get buttermilk here in Japan so I thought I was out of luck. These biscuits turned out incredible! Exceeded all my expectations. Definitely a new go to recipe for me.

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 03, 2021 at 9:32 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jesse! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Jed

        May 04, 2021 at 7:51 pm

        Jesse!
        I feel your pain. We are Texans also in Japan and having to get creative. 3/4 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons vinegar works well (it’s what we use for our weekly chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes). The local rice vinegar doesn’t work well, the apple cider vinegar works better.

        Reply
    11. Susan

      May 03, 2021 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! This will be my go to biscuit recipe. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 03, 2021 at 9:33 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Susan! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Liz

      May 02, 2021 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! I messed up a little by forgetting to do the milk when doubling the recipe๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ and mixing a bit too long. However, they still came out tasty and fluffy and flaky! Gonna do it right next time! Lol
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 03, 2021 at 11:43 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Liz! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    13. Shondra

      May 02, 2021 at 10:25 am

      5 stars
      Consistently amazing biscuits. Thank you!

      Reply
    14. Chelsea

      May 01, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      I found this recipe about a year ago (April 2020) at the beginning of the pandemic. Itโ€™s so simple and easy, yet absolutely delicious! Iโ€™ve probably made them twice a month since – theyโ€™re that great. My husband and friends request โ€œmyโ€ biscuits and refer to me as the biscuit queen! L O L! Really Iโ€™m just a biscuit peasant who memorized this simple yet perfect recipe. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 02, 2021 at 10:04 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Chelsea! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Danielle

          May 03, 2021 at 12:19 pm

          Hi there! I’m going to attempt this recipe this evening and wanted to know how well these are kept stored? I don’t plan on serving them until the following morning. Do they reheat well?

        • Sam

          May 03, 2021 at 9:40 pm

          Hi Danielle! They do very well stored in an air tight container overnight. To reheat them I just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds. ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Michelle J Haynes

        May 08, 2021 at 2:08 pm

        5 stars
        Great recipe, biscuits came out very fluffy and flaky. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Definitely will share recipe with family and friends. ๐Ÿ˜‹

        Reply
        • Sam

          May 08, 2021 at 10:24 pm

          I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Michelle! ๐Ÿ™‚

    15. Heather

      May 01, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      These would have been fine if you like a sweeter biscuit. I like them with gravy and the sugar ruined that for me. I might try again with no sugar added

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 02, 2021 at 3:18 pm

        Hi Heather! Just wanted to confirm that you just used one Tablespoon of sugar only? We enjoy these with sausage gravy often, the sugar adds flavor but I definitely don’t consider them to be a sweet biscuit.

        Reply
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