If you’ve never had homemade biscuits, you need to try these.
Biscuits can come in all shapes and sizes. Flaky, bready, square, circular, slathered in gravy, used as a dessert base… you get the idea. However, the thing the all have in common is *lots* of butter. If you can’t taste the butter, it’s not really a biscuit.
This recipe, passed down from my father-in-law, has become my go-to for making perfect homemade biscuits. With their flaky interiors, golden, crispy exteriors, and rich buttery flavor, these biscuits are simply irresistible. Whether served fresh out of the oven, alongside a hearty meal, or as the base of a dessert, they never fail to impress.
A few notes:
- Keep your butter and milk cold: I always cube my butter and then place it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before using it in this recipe. Also, keep both the butter and the milk in the fridge/freezer until it’s time to use them in the recipe so they stay as cold as possible. This is to ensure that your biscuits end up light and fluffy instead of heavy and dense.
- Get a pastry cutter: You won’t need one of these for every recipe, but if you like to bake, especially biscuits, pies, etc. it’s worth investing in one. You can get a cheap one for under $10 on Amazon.
- Circles or squares: My problem with circular biscuits is you end up with dough scraps that often go to waste. I do think that circular biscuits look better, but I tend to make square ones since they’ll all taste the same anyway.
- Make your own buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk for this recipe, add a teaspoons of lemon juice to a 3/4 cup of milk and then let it sit for 5 minutes before using. I use this hack almost anytime a recipe calls for buttermilk since it’s really hard to use up an entire container before it goes… more sour…?
Homemade Biscuits
These homemade biscuits are rich, flaky, and perfectly buttery, with a crisp, golden exterior. Easy to make and irresistibly delicious, they're the perfect side for any meal.
Equipment
- Pastry cutter or two knives
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ Cup Unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ¾ Cup Buttermilk* cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉ and prepare a parchment or baking mat lined baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.2 Cups Flour, 1 Tbsp Sugar, 1 Tbsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Salt
- Cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry cutter until it's been reduced to small pieces, about the size of peanuts. Two knives will also work if you do not own a pastry cutter.½ Cup Unsalted butter
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon. When it becomes too difficult to mix, switch to kneading with your hands until everything comes together into one dough ball.¾ Cup Buttermilk*
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 5×9 rectangle. Divide into three equal pieces and then stack them on top of each other. Roll back out into another 5×9 rectangle.
- Cut into 8 equal pieces and place on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Keep your butter and milk cold: I always cube my butter and then place it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before using it in this recipe. Also, keep both the butter and the milk in the fridge/freezer until it’s time to use them in the recipe so they stay as cold as possible. This is to ensure that your biscuits end up light and fluffy instead of heavy and dense.
- Get a pastry cutter: You won’t need one of these for every recipe, but if you like to bake, especially biscuits, pies, etc. it’s worth investing in one. You can get a cheap one for under $10 on Amazon.
- Circles or squares: My problem with circular biscuits is you end up with dough scraps that often go to waste. I do think that circular biscuits look better, but I tend to make square ones since they’ll all taste the same anyway.
- Make your own buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk for this recipe, add a teaspoons of lemon juice to a 3/4 cup of milk and then let it sit for 5 minutes before using. I use this hack almost anytime a recipe calls for buttermilk since it’s really hard to use up an entire container before it goes… more sour…?
