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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Maria. Donnelly
Great recipe
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed the homemade biscuits, Maria! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Paola
Hello Sam 😊
Here is Paola from Turin, Italy.
I write cooking eBooks and I’m a food communicator.
Many thanks for this recipe and for all tips you gave us.
I’ll try to prepare your bisquits for one of my customers with beer instead milk.
Have a good day and…good cooking, ever.
Paola
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Paola! Let me know how the homemade biscuits work with the beer. Happy Baking. 🙂
Paola
For sure, thanks to you 😊
Tessa M.
I’ve been making these biscuits for a few weeks now and love them. I don’t have biscuit cutters so I make them with cat cookie cutters. They hold their shape surprisingly well during the baking process, even the delicate tails and ears. My husband calls them “cat biscuits.”
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Tessa! I am so happy that you enjoy the homemade biscuits and LOVE how you have made them your own with cat ears and all. Enjoy! 🙂
G. L. Dick
Use the open end of a glass.
Belle
Best biscuits I have ever made. So easy!! Used my food processor so my butter would stay cold.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Belle! I am so happy that you enjoyed the homemade biscuits. 🙂
Diane
Sam, can I use margarine if I don’t have butter? Thank you! Love all your recipes….you’re the BEST!!!
Sam
Hi Diane! I generally don’t recommend margarine, unfortunately the oil base tends to keep the biscuits from getting those nice flakey layers that you are looking for here. It’s possible they could still turn out and taste good, but you just won’t get the same results, I’m sorry! I am glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes on the site, that means a lot to me! 🙂
Dawn
These are amazing. Rival my grandmothers! I grated the cold butter and then put in the freezer while I assembled the other ingredients. I doubled the recipe and put half the pre cooked biscuits on a tray and froze them for several hours. I wrote instructions on a freezer bag, added the biscuits. They will be so easy to pop out and bake another time! Perfect!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Dawn! I am so glad that you enjoyed the homemade biscuits. 🙂
anne heaphy
I don’t have unsalted butter and can’t get out this afternoon. If I use salted butter, do I just omit all the salt? Can’t wait to try these to go along with my split pea and ham hock soup!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Anne! Yes, that will work fine. I hope that you enjoy the biscuit recipe. It will pair perfectly with your yummy soup. Enjoy! 🙂
Sierra
These are INCREDIBLE. So easy, quick, and simple! They were done in under 40 minutes, from when I stuck the butter in the freezer to popping a hot one in my mouth!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Sierra! I am so happy that you found the homemade biscuit recipe easy to follow and enjoyable. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Helen
This is my first comment on a recipe blog and yes, as we speak, they just came out of the oven, perfect and now eating, with a little honey, on them! I added a tspn. of white vinegar to the milk to make it into a pseudo-buttermilk. So the VERY COLD milk and butter, and the LESS IS MORE in handling is the secret. Thanks.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed the Homemade Biscuits, Helen! 🙂
Maria N Bares
This was amazing! I doubled the recipe and it all came out perfect. I’ve had many failed biscuit attempts and this is finally the winner!! I just saved this recipe as it’s now my go to. Sampled one straight from the oven, now I have to Control myself and not eat the whole batch!
Sugar Spun Run
These biscuits are hard to resist, Maria! I am so glad that you enjoyed them and thanks for making this recipe your go-to for homemade biscuits. 🙂
Allene Lewis
Can you use buttetmilk?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Charisse! Yes, absolutely fine to substitute with buttermilk. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Shawna W.
Hi Sam.
Thanks for this awesome recipe! This was my first time making scratch biscuits and they turned out amazing with your help! My family was so happy. I love recipes with tips and helpful details.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Shawna! I am so happy that your family enjoyed the homemade biscuits and you found the recipe easy to follow. Enjoy! 🙂
Lisa Bolton
Best biscuits ever!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed the homemade biscuits, Lisa! 🙂
Shaylynn Lemasters
Could I make the dough ahead of time and place the cookie sheet in the fridge then pop them in the oven when it’s time?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Shaylynn! Yes, that should be fine! I hope that you enjoy the homemade biscuits! 🙂
Shaylynn Lemasters
They were amazing! My husband had requested me to make them multiple
Times since!! Thank you
Sam
I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you for letting me know how they turned out, Shaylynn! 🙂
Gwen Boswell
I finally made edible biscuits, Woohoo, THANKS! I have tried numerous recipies over many years and they have never been edible. I love biscuits and have always had to settle for the canned ones. Every few months I would try a new recipe only to waste time and money. Thanks to you, I cam now whip up fantastic biscuits whenever I want! Much Love and THANKS from Seattle!
Today I will be making your pretzel recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed the homemade biscuit recipe, Gwen! I hope that you enjoy the homemade pretzel recipe just as much. Thanks for commenting. 🙂