How to Make Perfect Homemade Biscuits: Easy Recipe & Tips

Buttery, soft, and utterly delicious, this easy homemade biscuit recipe is about to become your new kitchen staple. Forget store-bought – these biscuits, made completely from scratch with simple ingredients, are in a league of their own. And the best part? You likely already have everything you need in your pantry!

With just six basic ingredients, crafting homemade biscuits is surprisingly simple. This guide is packed with easy-to-follow steps and expert tips (including a helpful video!) to guarantee biscuit perfection every single time you bake. Say goodbye to flat, dry biscuits and hello to fluffy, flavorful goodness.

Freshly baked golden brown homemade biscuits, showcasing their fluffy texture.

I’m thrilled to share this homemade biscuit recipe for two main reasons:

First and foremost, homemade biscuits are simply irresistible! They’re incredibly easy to make, and the flavor is unmatched. It’s amazing how many people opt for canned biscuits when creating them from scratch is not only simple but also yields a vastly superior taste.

Seriously, there’s no comparison between the taste of a fresh, homemade biscuit and a pre-made one. Homemade wins, hands down, every time. We’re talking real ingredients, real flavor – no preservatives or artificial nonsense here!

Second, ever since I started perfecting this biscuit recipe, the catchy tune of “Mind Your Own Biscuits” by Kacey Musgraves has been constantly playing in my head. It’s been my baking soundtrack, on repeat!

While I’m a big fan of Kacey Musgraves and her music, my dog seems less enthusiastic about my off-key renditions. In fact, my singing apparently brings him to tears! It’s a funny but slightly sad situation, and perhaps sharing this recipe will finally banish the song from my mind and give my poor dog a break.

But back to the biscuits! Let’s dive deeper into why making them homemade is the best choice.

These incredible homemade biscuits require only six simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, and milk. And yes, we’ll add even more butter after they come out of the oven because, well, butter makes everything better, right?

I’ve emphasized how easy these biscuits are to make, and I truly mean it. Don’t let the following tips intimidate you! While the process is straightforward, technique is important for achieving truly perfect biscuits. I want to equip you with all the knowledge you need to bake these with confidence and get amazing results from your very first try.

These tips are easy to follow and incredibly helpful. While experienced bakers might be familiar with some of them, I want to ensure everyone has the same advantage and can bake truly exceptional homemade biscuits.

Key Tips for Making the Best Homemade Biscuits

Keep it Cold: For the fluffiest, softest biscuits, it’s crucial that your butter and milk are as cold as possible. I actually freeze my butter before using it! At the very least, ensure your butter is thoroughly chilled and keep your milk in the refrigerator until the moment you add it to the dry ingredients. Cold ingredients prevent the butter from melting too early, which is key to creating those desirable flaky layers.
Don’t Overmix the Dough: Remember, we want to keep that butter as cold as possible. The more you handle the dough, the warmer the butter will become. Avoid using an electric mixer for this recipe – gentle hand mixing is the way to go. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to tougher biscuits.
Lamination is Your Friend: We’ll use a simple lamination technique, which involves folding the dough over itself several times (about 5-6 times in this recipe). This process creates those beautiful, flaky layers that are characteristic of perfect biscuits. Watch the video in the recipe section below to see exactly how this folding is done. It’s easier than you might think and makes a big difference!
Hands Only (No Rolling Pin): Resist the urge to use a rolling pin! Instead, gently use your hands to pat and shape the dough into a flat rectangle before cutting out your biscuits. Rolling pins can overwork the dough and flatten it too much, hindering the rise and flakiness.
Flour Power (If Needed): Don’t hesitate to add a little extra flour to the dough if it becomes too sticky while you’re handling it. Make sure to work on a lightly floured surface as well to prevent sticking. A slightly sticky dough is okay, but it shouldn’t be unmanageable.

Visual Cue: Take a close look at the unbaked biscuit dough in the image below. Notice those visible pieces of butter? That’s exactly what you want to see! It means you’ve incorporated the butter correctly and haven’t overmixed the dough. Unlike cookie dough where ingredients are fully combined, biscuit dough is meant to have these butter pieces for a tender, flaky result. Seeing bits of butter is a sign of biscuit-baking success!

The Importance of Butter in Homemade Biscuits

Butter is arguably the star ingredient in this recipe, and how you handle it can significantly impact the final outcome of your homemade biscuits.

While a pastry cutter can be used to incorporate butter into the dry ingredients, I highly recommend freezing your butter for about 30 minutes beforehand. Then, use a box grater to shred the frozen butter directly into the flour mixture.

This grating technique is a game-changer! I use it in my scone recipes and it works wonders for biscuits too. It’s not only easier and faster than using a pastry cutter, but it also effectively distributes the butter throughout the flour without overworking it. Remember, keeping the butter cold and minimizing handling is key to light and flaky biscuits.

Another option is to use a food processor (similar to how I make my pie crust recipe), but grating frozen butter is so quick and simple that it’s my preferred method.

And yes, I recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe and adding salt separately. Using unsalted butter gives you more control over the saltiness of your biscuits. If you’re curious about why I often specify unsalted butter in my recipes, you can read more about it (and learn a simple substitution if you only have salted butter) in my post about salted vs unsalted butter.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been planning a fun baking contest/challenge for my readers. I envision it as a way to encourage everyone to try new recipes and step outside their baking comfort zones. I’ll be sharing a post next week with all the details, including a small prize for participants!

This homemade biscuit recipe is actually the foundation for that upcoming baking challenge! Consider this recipe a sneak peek and a perfect way to get a head start. Mastering these biscuits now will put you in a great position for the challenge next week!

To be the first to know about new recipes and baking challenges, be sure to subscribe to my e-mail list. It’s completely free, and as a bonus, you’ll receive a free e-book with 8 of my favorite cookie recipes!

Enjoy baking these biscuits! I know you’ll love them.

How to Make Homemade Biscuits – Recipe Video

I know I talk quite a bit in this video, but I truly believe these tips are essential for biscuit-baking success and will help you make perfect biscuits every time!

Homemade Biscuits Recipe

This recipe can be easily doubled to make a dozen biscuits.

4.97 from 4613 votes

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Course: Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 6 biscuits

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter very cold (85g), unsalted European butter is ideal, but not required
¾ cup whole milk¹ (177ml) buttermilk or 2% milk will also work

Recommended Equipment

Box grater
Biscuit cutter

Instructions

For the best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before starting. It’s essential that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, and buttery biscuits.
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
Remove the chilled butter from the freezer (or refrigerator). You can either cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, or (preferred method) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces. Add the shredded butter to the flour mixture and stir lightly to combine.
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut or combine the butter with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with visible pieces of butter.
Add the cold milk to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
- ¾ cup whole milk¹
Turn the biscuit dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently bring the dough together with your hands. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour until it becomes manageable.
Once the dough is cohesive, fold it in half over itself. Gently flatten the layers together with your hands. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again. Repeat this folding process 5-6 times, being careful not to overwork the dough.
Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Lightly dust a 2 ¾” round biscuit cutter with flour.
Make close cuts, pressing the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough (don’t twist). Place the cut biscuits onto your prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the cutting process until you have cut out as many biscuits as possible. Gently rework the dough scraps to cut out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits. Place biscuits less than ½” apart on the baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C) for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to turn lightly golden brown.
If desired, brush the warm biscuits with melted salted butter immediately after removing them from the oven. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

¹ I prefer whole milk for richness, but buttermilk or 2% milk also work well!

Nutrition

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram! Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

Penny always supervises my baking photography. Luckily, she approved of this biscuit photoshoot!

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