This simple biscuit recipe, which is buttery, tender, and made from scratch, deserves a permanent position in your recipe collection. This recipe contains only butter and no shortening! So, how do you make biscuits from scratch?
Sometimes, it’s your mother or grandmother, and sometimes it’s the mother of your culinary school BFF. Sometimes, it may be the best biscuit recipe in existence, and the most crucial factor is to obtain it!
Homemade Biscuits
This three-ingredient, 40-year-old biscuit recipe requires only three ingredients. Make a stack of homemade biscuits for a dinner side dish, a shortcake base, or a breakfast main dish.
Time
- Preparation Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Time Total: 15 minutes
- Servings: 8 wafers
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Pastry Cutter (this makes it so much simpler to cut butter).
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup of cold, pea-sized cubes of butter
- 6 tablespoons of milk plus more
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Make a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a large mixing basin, combine 2 cups self-rising flour and 12 cups cold butter (cut into small cubes) to connect the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or two blades, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse meal forms and the butter is evenly distributed. It is what gives biscuits their layers of flaky texture!
Mix 6 tablespoons of milk (whole milk or heavy cream will also work) into the flour mixture until a dough forms. If the dough is sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Add 1 tablespoon of milk if the dough is dry.
On a surface dusted with flour, knead the dough for 20 seconds. If the dough becomes gummy, wipe it with some flour.
Flatten out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch with a rolling pin and cut biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Continue forming and cutting biscuits while pressing the uncut dough together.
Bake on a drying rack for 10 to 12 minutes or until the top is golden and fragrant. Brush with melted butter or savor with your favorite spread (honey butter is my favorite, but orange marmalade and apple butter are also delicious!).
Ingredient Notes
1. Self-rising flour: Make your self-rising flour if you need help locating it or want to save money on a special flour just for baking. In a basin, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder (not baking soda), and half a teaspoon of salt.
2. Cold butter: “Cold” is the determining factor. As the butter dissolves in the oven during biscuit baking, it generates steam that results in a tender, flaky crumb. If preferable, you may substitute cold shortening. I typically keep salted butter on hand (and prefer its flavor), so I use it here; however, unsalted butter is also acceptable.
Variations
- Yield: This recipe yields eight flaky pastries. You can halve the recipe for a tiny batch of 4, or double it to make 16 servings.
- Storage: Place any leftover biscuits in an airtight container or a storage bag with a zipper—store at ambient temperature for three days maximum.
- Freezer: Instead of baking and freezing biscuits, try mixing the dough, cutting it into rounds, and then freezing the unbaked biscuits individually on a tray or baking sheet for a fast carbohydrate fix on any given day. Move the biscuits to a freezer-safe receptacle or a plastic bag with a zip-top and freeze for up to one month. Put the already frozen biscuits on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment or a silicone mat when ready. 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 to 17 minutes.
- Buttermilk: In some circles, biscuits are only considered biscuits if prepared with buttermilk. My recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits is slightly more complicated than this 3-ingredient variant, but the extra effort is always worthwhile!
- Biscuits and Gravy: One of the best ways to savor flaky homemade biscuits is by topping them with a generous helping of sausage gravy.
Why You’ll Love This Biscuit Recipe
This biscuit recipe is for you if you enjoy homemade bread and fresh dinner rolls but dislike waiting for them to rise and prosper. They suit cooks of all talent levels and taste significantly better than canned biscuits.
- Quick: No time for ascending
- Simple ingredients: using pantry and fridge essentials
- No fancy equipment needed: You only need a basin and a pastry cutter or knives, etc.
- Fail-proof and forgiving: Even unsightly, they will be delicious.
- Make-ahead: to facilitate busy afternoons.
Tips For Making Homemade Biscuits
The butter and milk in this recipe must be as relaxed as possible for the biscuits to be light and fluffy. We recommend storing the milk in the refrigerator until it is time to add it to the dry ingredients and freezing the butter before use.
Do not knead the dough too much! When preparing these biscuits, remember that you want the butter to remain as cold as possible, and the more you handle the dough, the softer the butter will become. Avoid using an electric mixer with this recipe.
There will be a small amount of laminating. It involves flipping the dough over itself multiple times (five to six times in this case) to create layers in our biscuits. You can view the following video to see how this is performed.
Instead of using a rolling pin, delicately shape the dough into a rectangle before cutting out the biscuits.
Don’t be afraid to add flour to the dough if it becomes too sticky to handle (and work on a gently floured surface).
Tips For Serving Biscuits
Enjoy serving these still steaming. Here are some suggestions for serving them:
- With warmed butter applied to the surface.
- With this delicious honey butter prepared at home.
- With apple butter, pumpkin butter, or preserves.
- Next to scrambled eggs, this is my preferred way to prepare eggs.
- Make a breakfast sandwich, and here is our recipe for make-ahead breakfast sandwiches (we use English muffins, but biscuits would be a fantastic substitute).
How To Store Leftover Biscuits?
To preserve the freshness of leftover biscuits made from scratch, it is recommended to follow a few simple steps:
- Cool Completely: Before storing, allow the cookies to chill entirely at room temperature.
- Airtight Container: Place the biscuits in an opaque container or resealable plastic bag after they have cooled.
- Refrigeration: If you intend to ingest the biscuits within a few days, refrigerate them. They can be kept for up to three to four days.
- Freezing: Freezing is a beautiful method for storing food for extended periods. Ensure the biscuits are stored in a freezer-safe bag or container with a tight seal. You may freeze them for up to two to three months.
- Thawing and Reheating: To savor the leftover biscuits, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator. Cook in an oven at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes or until crisp.
The procedure of making biscuits from scratch is simple and rewarding. By combining flour, butter, and buttermilk and then baking until golden brown, delightfully airy morsels are produced. This method has a warm, comforting delight suitable for breakfast or pairing with various dishes.
Thank you for reading…..
