Homemade biscuits hot from the oven, can you think of anything better? Learning how to make homemade biscuits may be the best from scratch recipe you can have in your repertoire. Easily made by anyone (yes, even you!), these flaky, buttery biscuits are yours for the making using only five ingredients & literally take only 10 minutes.
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Time to re-think biscuits. No longer are biscuits for breakfast only. For sure, they make an amazing addition to traditional breakfasts, think melting butter & drizzled honey, but what about as mouth-watering side to any homemade soup, or baked beans, or most any dinner? We here on the hill even extend our biscuit enjoyment to desserts! Think strawberry shortcake or our favorite? Hot biscuits with butter and drizzled with real maple syrup. Can we just say, YUM?
EASY HOMEMADE BISCUITS
If you’ve never made your own, from scratch, biscuits than this is for you! You can thank me later 🙂 Full disclosure here. My partner in life is the baker of the homestead. He can whip these biscuits up in no time flat, and is always delicious to accompany our meal.
Once you’ve made these biscuits & see just how easy & economical they are to make, we guarantee you will never purchase store-bought again. Especially as this recipe takes only 5 ingredients that most have in their pantry already!
Ready to make your own? Although very easy to make, there are a few tips that will help ensure success. Many cooks & bakers may already be aware, but for those who are not, here you go.
TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE BISCUITS
- Butter – Biscuits use copious amounts of butter, when making them & don’t refrain from using a lot while enjoying, just sayin’. When making your biscuits start with cold butter. We like to freeze ours for a bit to get it really cold. you can then either just cut the butter into pads or use a grater to grate the frozen butter. Both work, but the no fuss way is to simply cut it. Cold butter will melt & release it’s steam in the oven when baking. This creates a flaky, light biscuit.
- When To Cut In The Butter – Cut in the butter BEFORE adding the wet ingredient.
- Pastry Cutter – Use a pastry cutter or a rugged fork to cut the cold butter into the dried ingredients. Cut it in until the remaining butter is no larger than pea sized. Refrain from using your hands to break the butter into the dried ingredients. The heat from your hands will melt the butter, & your end result will not be light & flaky.
- Milk – The milk should be kept as cold as possible as well. Use only cold ingredients.
- Dough – Don’t overwork the dough. Unlike bread, biscuits want very little handling & certainly, no kneading. The more you work the dough, the tougher they will be. Not so desired a result!
- Hands Only – Do not use a rolling pin or other kitchen tool to roll out the dough. Simply very quickly lay the dough out, using fingertips only, light press the dough into shape, about 3/4 inch thick.
- Reduce The Batch – Cooking for only 1-2 or not looking to enjoy leftovers? Halve the batch!
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
Don’t have baking powder or yours is questionable in age? No worries! You can simply substitute store-bough baking powder with baking soda & cream of tartar. To make this substitution, for 1 teaspoon baking powder combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.
Gluten Free? With a few additional ingredients, you too can enjoy homemade biscuits. A great recipe that my daughter enjoys can be found here.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BISCUITS
To make these easy homemade biscuits, gather your ingredients. As with everything Since biscuits are considered a quick bread, similar to our pumpkin bread, which has no yeast meaning it’s well, quick. No need to wait hours waiting for it to rise. These literally take 10 minutes to put together & 15 minutes to cook.
GATHER INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR HOMEMADE BISCUITS
For this recipe you will need the following ingredients…
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour – Flour is the foundation & structure of these biscuits. Too much & you will have dry biscuits, not enough, well no structure
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder – Baking powder is used to increase volume & create lightness in the texture of the biscuits
- 1/2 tsp Salt – Salt modifies flavor & increases crust color
- 6 Tbl Cold Unsalted Butter – Butter adds flavor, acts as a leavening & adds moisture
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk – Milks proteins help to create a strong batter that stands up to baking all the while to help tenderize & moisturize the bake
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOMEMADE BISCUITS
To make the biscuits follow the easy steps listed below. If you will be making these at a later time, be sure to print out the recipe we have supplied below.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & pre-heat your oven to 425 F. In a good sized bowl add the dry ingredients. Give the dry ingredients a good stir to combine well.
Add your cold butter. We simply cut it in our “no fuss” way, but if you freeze the butter you can also opt to grate it.
If you choose to cut your butter, using either a pastry cutter (our preferred method) 2 knives or a sturdy fork, “cut” the butter into the dry ingredients until pea size in shape.
Pour the cold milk into the mixture & combine. We like to use a fork for this. Combine until dry ingredients are moistened, remembering to not overwork the dough.
Turn the dough out onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. If you like, you can also do this on another work surface lightly floured, but doing directly on the baking sheet saves time & mess 🙂
Gently form until approximately 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, a knife, or even a glass tipped upside down, cut out your biscuits.
Bake the biscuits until browned, approximately 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven, layer with butter & enjoy!
HOMEMADE BISCUIT VARIATIONS
This biscuit recipe is the BASE for unleashing your creative juices. It’s versatile and so receptive of most any type of additions.
A couple of suggestions might be to add goat cheese & fresh rosemary for a savory variation. Or what about adding cinnamon & raisin or even apple, cinnamon, & nutmeg for an “apple pie” version?
Biscuits don’t just have to be eaten alone either! What about layering them on top of chicken pot pie filling in lieu of a crust? How about going old school & enjoying the infamous biscuits and sausage with gravy. The options are endless. Add what you love and you will create an option that you love.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BISCUITS
If by chance you have leftovers there are several ways to store. Short-term, biscuits can be left at room temperature, lightly covered. Storing for a longer term, store in an air-tight container or zip bag. This is a good option for storing for several days.
If you like to store for a longer period of time, full disclosure they never last that long in our house, I have heard you can either refrigerate (up to a week) them or even freeze (up to 6 months if done properly). No idea how they would be with those options, so proceed at your own risk, lol.
BEST WAYS TO REHEAT HOMEMADE BISCUITS
Our easy homemade biscuits taste the best when served warm. Preferrably with lots of added butter 🙂 To reheat you can simply cut in half and toast in your toaster or better yet in your cast iron pan, or leave whole & reheat in your oven or toaster oven at 350 F for 5-6 minutes.
There you have it! Homemade biscuits put together in literally under 10 minutes when you make them the “no fuss way”! Give them a try and let me know how you enjoy yours by joining the conversation below. Happy Baking!!
Love, Light, & Laughter ~
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 Tbl Cold Unsalted Butter
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & pre-heat your oven to 425 F
- In a good sized bowl add the dry ingredients. Give the dry ingredients a good stir to combine well
- Add cold butter & cut into the dry goods using a pastry cutter until the butter reaches pea size
- Add milk & combine. Do not overwork the dough
- Turn the dough out onto work surface & form into a 3/4 inch thick form
- Using a biscuit cutter, glass, or knife, cut your biscuit forms
- Bake until lightly browned, 15-18 minutes
Notes
Serve immediately. Store in air-tight container or plastic bag for up to 2 days. Reheat in toaster, pan, or oven at 350 F for 5-6 minutes.
36 comments
There is not much better than a homemade biscuit! Thanks for sharing this with us at the Homestead Blog Hop!
Its been ages since I tasted a homemade biscuit. Now, that we have the time in our hands I’m going to try to make this at home. Love that it’s a simple recipe and you can add different variations to it. I’ll try to make biscuits this weekend and breakfast is perfect for me 🙂
I like “easy” recipes! I also do enjoy a good biscuit! Yum! I’m gonna have to pin this for later!
Those look great!!!
I love biscuits! Mine are vegan now and an occasional treat. These look amazing!
These look perfect! I love your idea of rosemary and goat cheese. Yum!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I usually use store bought biscuits, mainly because I’ve been too lazy to find a recipe.
Those look yummy, and so easy. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing with Encouraging Hearts and Home! Have a great week ahead!
I love biscuits! I haven’t made them in a while. I think it’s time to whip up a batch!
I love a good homemade biscuit. I’ll have to show this recipe to my son. He’s become my baker. His last biscuit recipe was a bust!
It is like you have read my mind!! I have been craving homemade biscuits for some time! I tried to get my husband to make me some Johnny cake, but it is just not the same.
I need to perfect using this vs buying store-bought biscuits! This seems SO easy!
Hi Tiffany~
It is! You got this!!
These biscuits look wonderful!
I am going to have to try this out!
Love biscuits! And what really pulls me in is “No Fuss!”
Great step by step photos and tips! These look delicious! My husband was just asking today about making biscuits some time.
These look amazing and so comforting right now! Can you tell I am an emotional eater? lol
Sounds easy! Would I be able to substitute buttermilk for whole milk? I have leftover from another recipe that I wouldn’t mind using up!
Hi Marianne~
You could substitute the milk, just know that you are now making buttermilk biscuits 🙂
Easy and great recipe to make!
Homemade biscuits are one of the best foods ever!! Strawberry shortcake with it, especially with FRESH strawberries, is amazing!
I could so infrequently that almost every ingredient I have is “questionable,” but these look easy! Thanks!
Yum! Homemade biscuits!
I am still searching for a perfect biscuit and gravy recipe. This biscuit recipe looks simple compared to what I have tried. That might be the trick. Can’t wait to try this for Sunday breakfast.
Let me know how you like them!
I love all the suggestions to make a plain biscuit even better with add-ins! Thanks!
These look so good! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Great recipe..I cant wait to give it a try! I love biscuits!
It’s been ages since I made biscuits! You are inspiring me!
I just saw a wonderful soup recipe and these muffins would make it a great meal. Thanks. – Margy
Your biscuits look delicious!
My secret to biscuit making is my teen-aged daughter – she’s the master biscuit maker around here!
Wonderful! It’s always nice to have a “secret weapon” 🙂
I haven’t made homemade biscuits for quite some time! I think I will make them tomorrow, thanks!
You are speaking my language here. I can smell them right now. Thanks for sharing. Look simple – will need to add this to my recipe list.