These homemade biscuits are buttery, flaky, and made from scratch in just about 30 minutes. Perfect to serve for breakfast with eggs, or some butter and jam, and absolutely perfect with soups in winter.
In winter, almost every bowl of soup in our home goes with biscuits. These are classic biscuits, made with milk. And yet, I also make wonderful buttermilk biscuits and delicious cheddar cheese biscuits.
As kids, my mom often made scones with dried fruits for breakfast and with herbs for savory snacks. I make savory biscuits often for breakfast and soups. And, I believe the big difference is, that scones have eggs, they are less dense, drier, and less flaky. While biscuits are supposed to be eggless, more buttery, flaky, and airy.
About these biscuits
The recipe is very simple and easy. I often make it when I have no bread at home. It can be easily done from start to finish as long as you have chilled butter.
In fact, chilled butter is the secret to making these biscuits flaky. Personally, I always prefer to make this by hand, using a pastry blender, but you can also use a food processor. If you do use a food processor make sure to pulse it in small burst so you still have coarse breadcrumb consistency of small and large butter, which gives us that buttery flaky biscuit.
But, unlike scones, there is no egg in biscuits. And yet, I personally like to add an egg to this one. It adds to that wonderful flaky crumbly texture.
You can also top these over pot pies and casseroles as I have done in my recipe for Lamb pot pie with biscuits and ground beef with cheese biscuits
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour - Although we add baking powder to the flour it is better to use all-purpose flour, not self-raising flour.
- Baking powder - It is important to use more baking powder and less baking soda. Since too much soda will give a dry aftertaste when eating. You can read more about baking powder vs baking soda.
- Butter - I prefer unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. And, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
- Egg - Biscuits don't usually have eggs. But, I highly recommend an egg in this one. Having said that, you can omit the egg and use a little more milk instead.
- Sugar - Adds a mild sweetness to the biscuits. You can omit the sugar you can also use 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven at 420 F / 220 C.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Then, add the chilled, cubed butter.
Tip - It is very important that the butter is chilled thoroughly. If necessary, place the butter in the freeze for 10 minutes. - Using a pastry blender or fork cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumb consistency.
Tip - you can also grate the butter with a box grater. Alternatively, you can also use a food processor. Use short pulses and don't do too much in the processor. Finish it on the countertop. - Add the egg and combine well.
- Then, add the milk and combine well with a spoon or spatula. The mixture will still appear dry and crumbly and that's ok.
- Bring the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough. Fold the dough onto itself bringing the two sides over the center. Then, fold the top and bottom sides into the middle as well (see video). Do this once more or twice more to create more folds.
- Next, roll the dough again to about a ½ to ¾-inch thickness, and using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut about 6 to 8 biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on a parchment or silicone-lined baking tray. Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the top is lightly golden. The thicker ones may take up to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
You may also like
- Pumpkin pancakes & pumpkin waffles
- Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese or CR with condensed milk
- Soft Sesame Pretzels
- Homemade everything bagel
- Classic Brioche
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Easy Homemade Biscuits
Print Pin Rate VeenaazmanovDescription
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 6 tbsp (90 g) Butter (3 oz) unsalted, chilled, cubed
- 1 Egg
- ¾ cup (180 ml) Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 420 F / 220 C
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar
- Then add the chilled, cubed butter. Tip - It is very important that the butter is chilled thoroughly. If necessary, place the butter in the freeze for 10 minutes.
- Using a pastry blender or fork cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumb consistency.Tip - you can also grate the butter with a box grater. Alternatively, you can also use a food processor. Use short pulses and don't do too much in the processor. Finish it on the countertop.
- Add the egg and combine well.
- Then add the milk and combine well with a spoon or spatula. The mixture will still appear dry and crumbly and that's ok.
- Bring the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough. Fold the dough onto itself bringing the two sides over the center, then the top and bottom sides into the middle as well. (see video) Do this once more or twice more to create more folds.
- Then roll the dough again to about a ½ to ¾-inch thickness and using a 3-inch cookie cutter cut about 6 to 8 biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on a parchment or silicone-lined baking tray. Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the top is lightly golden. The thicker ones may take up to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm
Recipe Notes
- Make sure everything is cold. I like to use a cold stainless bowl to work in so my ingredients stay cold. I even place the ingredients in the fridge for a while
- Make sure the butter is chilled. If necessary freeze the butter for 10 minutes.
- Sifting the dry ingredients will make a lighter more airy biscuit.
- If you have warm hands, use a pastry blender or fork. Try to use your hands less if possible.
- If you find the butter is getting warm, stop and let it chill in the fridge for a while so it is cold at all times.
- Use only enough liquid to bring all the dough into a ball.
- Do not knead the dough. Gently press together to make a ball
- The crumblier the mixture the flakier the biscuits will be.
- When cutting the biscuits, use the cookie cutter in the top-down motion. Try not to twist the cutter. This will keep the layers open.
- Dont' knead the leftover dough. Stack and cut. These may bake denser than the first batch.
Freeze or Make-Ahead biscuits
- These baked biscuits can be frozen for up to 3 months if well wrapped in freeze safe bags. Thaw in the fridge (not counter) for best results.
- Biscuit dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months as well. Prepare the dough as above. Shape into a disc, then wrap well in plastic wrap.
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
