Flaky, fluffy, buttery, and soft, these easy homemade biscuits come together with only a handful of ingredients you already have at home!
One of my favourite things to make as a child were Pillsbury biscuits. You know, the pre-made biscuit dough that is packaged in a tall can that you unravel, pop on your baking tray and into the oven. 15 minutes later you have fresh and warm biscuits. Well, if you thought those were good, you will be blown away by homemade biscuits. They are on another level. And they don't even take that much more time than the store-bought ones. I mean, just getting the dough out of those cans is a task in itself, taking 5 minutes. So why not just invest another 10 minutes of time to make fresh from scratch biscuits? Bye bye preservatives and artificial flavours!
The Ingredients
So what do you need to make flaky, fluffy, buttery, and soft biscuits? Well, you will need the following ingredients that you likely already have at home:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- sugar
- butter
- milk
How to Make the Perfect Biscuit
The secret behind the perfect, golden, flaky biscuit is:
- use really, really cold milk and butter - so cold that when you cube your butter, it is best to place them back in the fridge until you are ready to use, or even in the freezer for a few minutes before using
- turn on the broiler for a few seconds to get that perfect golden top - there is so much variation between ovens and I personally find that my oven doesn't brown things as much as I would like to, which led me to discover the magic of the broiler. Once the biscuits are done, I turn on the broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute until I achieve that perfect golden colour on top. But be sure to keep a close on your biscuits so that you don't end up burning them!
- don’t over mix the dough
Once you have rolled out the dough and cut out biscuits, don't throw out the scraps! You can shape them back into a ball and pat down into a new disc and cut out a few more biscuits. They might not look as perfect as the first batch, since the continued heat from your hands will warm up the butter, but they will taste just as good... perfect for snacking while you are waiting for guests to show up!
To serve, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and serve with a bowl of soup, chili or mashed potatoes and gravy. You can also serve these sliced in half and spread with butter, homemade jam or honey. Basically you can enjoy these for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
To store, allow biscuits to completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them in an ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Easy Homemade Biscuits
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 biscuits
Description
Flaky, fluffy, buttery, and soft, these easy homemade biscuits come together with only a handful of ingredients you already have at home!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, very cold and diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup whole milk, very cold
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fork until butter is the size of small peas.
- Slowly pour in the milk and mix just until combined. Once the batter forms into a soft dough, use your hands to fold in the dry pieces that haven’t been incorporated. Be careful not to overmix. Note that the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a ¾-inch thick disk. Flour a biscuit cutter (or the rim of a glass) and cut out rounds of dough. Place biscuits onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake biscuits for 13 to 16 minutes, or until tops are just golden brown. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter (optional) and serve warm.
Notes
- To get an extra golden top: Once the biscuits are done, turn on the broiler to high and broil for 30 seconds to 1 minute (but keep a close eye on the biscuits so that they don't burn).
- To store: Allow biscuits to completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them in an ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Brandi says
So easy and quick to make! Tastes great!
Brandi says
So easy and quick to make! Taste great!