These Easy Homemade Biscuits with all-purpose flour are flaky, fluffy, and most importantly super buttery. These are made completely from scratch in only about 30 minutes! Perfect for brunch or breakfast.
Looking for an even easier homemade biscuit recipe? Try my No Milk Drop Biscuits. There is no rolling, cutting, or freezing required.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Buttery – 10 tablespoons of salted european gives these the best flavor and texture. Southern style!
- Soft – All of the fat in the dough makes them super tender.
- Tall & flaky – Cutting the dough into pieces and layering it gives the biscuits height and layers.
- 7 ingredients – This recipe only requires a few simple pantry and refrigerator staples that you likely already have on hand. No self-rising flour or shortening needed!
- Freeze well – These can be frozen before or after baking. They still taste delicious!
- Great for brunch/breakfast – They can also be made in advance for gatherings.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granulated Sugar: Substitute for brown sugar.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Buttermilk: Substitute with the same amount of whole milk and 1 Tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. The acid is crucial for activating the baking soda and flavor.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Homemade Biscuits
Quick Overview
- Make the dough.
- Shape.
- Freeze.
- Bake and enjoy warm!
Step by Step Instructions
There should be lots of butter chunks throughout the dough.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter pieces should be pea-sized and not overly incorporated. You can also use a cheese coarse grater to grate the butter or a large food processor. Pour the flour and butter in the bowl and pulse a few times.
Step 3: Stir the flour and butter with a spoon after cutting it to make sure it is evenly dispersed. Make a well in the center.
Step 4: Pour the buttermilk in the well and gently fold until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.
Step 5: Dump onto a clean cold lightly floured surface.
Step 6: Form into a rough rectangle.
The shape does not have to perfect. It is more importantly to work quickly.
Step 7: Roll or press gently in a rectangle that is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 5-6 pieces. When cutting, do not press down too hard.
Step 8: Stack the pieces and flatten again into a rectangle that is about 1.25 inches thick.
Step 9: Cut into 8 biscuits that are roughly the same size. (These are supposed to be rustic!)
Step 10: Place onto a plate or small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
Step 11: Remove from the cold plate or sheet and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with flaky salt if desired.
Step 12: Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
These biscuits are best served fresh out of the oven with some extra salted butter and jam spread on top. They are super versatile and can be served with/in a variety of dishes, such as:
- Top with Homemade Strawberry Jam or Egg Free Apple Curd
- Make a biscuit sandwich with an Over Hard Egg & Baked Turkey Bacon or Instant Pot Bacon
- Serve for brunch with this simple Egg & Sausage Casserole
- Serve for lunch with a bowl of Turkey Lentil Soup or Dutch Oven Chili
Expert Tips & Variations
- Use cold ingredients. Stick the butter in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to keep the buttermilk in the fridge until right before you pour it into the dry ingredients.
- Flour the surface and hands. This will help the dough not to stick.
- Cut the dough into pieces & stack. This process is called laminating. It helps the biscuits to be extra flaky.
- Be gentle while shaping & cutting. You can use a rolling pin with a light hand or simply just press the dough with your hands to flatten it if you do not have one. Use little pressure when cutting the dough. This will help the edges to not seal and allow the biscuits to rise better.
- Do not overwork the dough. The heat from your hands will begin to melt the butter, combining it into the flour. This will prevent the biscuits from rising as much. It is important to work quickly and not worry too much about the size or shape. If the dough begins to get warm or the butter starts to melt. Pop it in the freezer for 5 minutes and then continue shaping.
- Cut into squares. I prefer to just cut the whole slab of dough into equal squares so that you do not have any scraps from a round biscuit cutter that have to be wasted or reworked.
- Freeze leftovers. You can freeze the dough or the baked biscuits. Be sure to freeze them before placing them into a large bag or container. Par freezing is the process of freezing food for about 4-6 hours not touching on a baking sheet so that it does not stick together. Reheat in the microwave or oven. Add about 5 minutes to the bake time if baking from frozen. There is no need to thaw.
Recipe FAQs
My tips are to: use cold milk and butter, do not overwork the dough, and create layers. See all of my expert tips above.
Butter is a better option. It has a better flavor.
Rolled biscuits (this recipe), drop biscuits, scones, and shortcakes are the four types of biscuits.
No. Eggs are not usually used in biscuits.
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Easy Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (325 g) all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt*
- 10 Tablespoons (142 g) unsalted european butter, cubed & frozen for 10-15 minutes
- 3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon cold buttermilk plus more for brushing*
- flaky salt optional for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter pieces should be pea-sized and not overly incorporated. You can also use a cheese coarse grater to grate the butter or a large food processor. Pour the flour and butter in the bowl and pulse a few times.
- Stir the flour and butter with a spoon after cutting it to make sure it is evenly dispersed. Make a well in the center.
- Pour the buttermilk in the well and gently fold until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.
- Dump onto a clean cold lightly floured surface.
- Form into a rough rectangle.
- Roll or press gently in a rectangle that is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 5-6 pieces. When cutting, do not press down too hard
- Stack the pieces and flatten again into a rectangle that is about 1.25 inches thick.
- Cut into 8 biscuits that are roughly the same size. (These are supposed to be rustic!)
- Place onto a plate or small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the cold plate or sheet and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with flaky salt if desired.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Granulated Sugar: Substitute for brown sugar.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Buttermilk: Substitute with the same amount of whole milk and 1 Tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. The acid is crucial for activating the baking soda and flavor.
- Use cold ingredients. Stick the butter in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to keep the buttermilk in the fridge until right before you pour it into the dry ingredients.
- Flour the surface and hands. This will help the dough not to stick.
- Cut the dough into pieces & stack. This process is called laminating. It helps the biscuits to be extra flaky.
- Be gentle while shaping & cutting. You can use a rolling pin with a light hand or simply just press the dough with your hands to flatten it if you do not have one. Use little pressure when cutting the dough. This will help the edges to not seal and allow the biscuits to rise better.
- Do not overwork the dough. The heat from your hands will begin to melt the butter, combining it into the flour. This will prevent the biscuits from rising as much. It is important to work quickly and not worry too much about the size or shape. If the dough begins to get warm or the butter starts to melt. Pop it in the freezer for 5 minutes and then continue shaping.
- Cut into squares. I prefer to just cut the whole slab of dough into equal squares so that you do not have any scraps from a round biscuit cutter that have to be wasted or reworked.
