This Flaky Biscuit recipe can be made with just a handful of simple ingredients and a few easy steps. Each soft and buttery biscuit is perfect for enjoying with jam or gravy for breakfast or a number of other uses.
Baking powder biscuits are a no-fail way to make sure you have the most fluffy biscuits to use for sandwiches, pot pie, shortcake, and more. If you're looking for more biscuit recipes, you may also love these savory Cheddar Cheese Biscuits.
Jump to:
Homemade Flaky Biscuit Video Tutorial
The Best Flakey Biscuit Recipe
Once you make this flaky baking powder biscuits recipe, you may never go back to the canned version again! At the very least, you will realize how simple it is to make your own. In fact, you probably have all of the ingredients that you need to make them right at this very minute.
We’ve provided you with step-by-step instructions, as well as tips and tricks, on how to make these biscuits perfectly soft, tender and delicious every single time. While they taste yummy on their own for breakfast, this is also a great flaky biscuits recipe to use for biscuits and gravy, as the topping for pot pie or even as a replacement for regular dinner rolls.
Butter vs. Shortening in Biscuits
We prefer butter over shortening because we’ve found it helps give them a little extra boost, thanks to the water content in butter. It also adds an undeniably delicious flavor that you just can't compete with.
This Fluffy Biscuit Recipe without shortening is made using room temperature butter instead of cold butter, which produces light, soft and tender biscuits, instead of flaky layers. If you prefer yours a little flakier, you can substitute cold butter. Just freeze your butter, then grate it using a box grater directly into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Flour - we use all-purpose flour for these biscuits.
- Baking Powder - this helps to keep the biscuits soft and rise a bit in the oven.
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter, however you may need to reduce the salt in the recipe slightly if you go with salted.
- Milk - we suggest using whole milk for this recipe, or even substituting heavy cream or buttermilk.
How to Make Flaky Homemade Biscuits
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Blend in the butter. Add room temperature butter and use a fork or pastry blender to mix. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
- Add the wet ingredients and mix. Make a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture, then add milk all at once and mix just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (dough will be sticky and a little lumpy). Let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes.
- Roll and cut the biscuits. On a floured surface, lightly knead dough by hand until smooth (about 30 seconds), then roll dough out with a rolling pin until the dough is even and about ¾" thick. Cut dough with a 3-4" round biscuit cutter or the bottom of a cup/jar (you can also cut into squares using a sharp knife) and place about ½” - 1” apart on a lightly greased baking dish.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Serve. Remove from the oven, then brush the tops with melted butter. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- When cutting your biscuit dough recipe, do not twist the cutter! Cutting straight up and down will help the biscuits rise straight up, rather than lopsided.
- Another way to achieve flaky layers is by folding the dough in half and rolling it back down to about 1 ½” thick. Repeat up to 4 times before rolling out to the final thickness of ¾”.
- It’s a good idea to keep the milk cold, particularly if you are using room temperature butter. It helps keep everything nice and cool even while you are working the biscuit dough with your warm hands.
- For even more golden brown biscuits, you can brush them with a little milk just before baking.
- If you have the time, it doesn’t hurt to chill your biscuit dough once it is rolled out and just before cutting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the unbaked biscuit dough freezes very well. We recommend cutting your biscuits and freezing them flat on a baking sheet before storing them in a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months!
To bake, remove the frozen biscuit rounds from the freezer and transfer to a baking sheet. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, or else bake from frozen and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Ways to Enjoy Homemade Biscuits
- Biscuits and Gravy: A classic Southern breakfast dish, top your warm biscuits with a rich and creamy sausage gravy.
- Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich: Use your homemade biscuits as the bun for a crispy fried chicken sandwich, topped with pickles, lettuce, and your favorite sauce.
- Strawberry Shortcake: Add and a little sugar to your dough and use the biscuits for an easy dessert. Cut your biscuits in half and layer with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for a delicious and easy dessert.
- Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich: Fill your biscuits with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese for a hearty breakfast sandwich.
- Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie: Use your biscuits as the crust for a comforting and delicious chicken pot pie.
- Biscuit-Topped Beef Stew: Use your biscuits as a topping for a hearty and comforting beef stew.
- Spreads- Or just enjoy your homemade biscuits with Homemade Strawberry Jam, Honey Cinnamon Butter or Garlic Butter!
Baking Powder Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Butter room tempreture
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Butter melted, to brush on after baking
Egg Wash
- 1 large Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add room temperature butter and use a fork or pastry blender to mix. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
- Make a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture, then add milk all at once and mix just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (dough will be sticky and a little lumpy). Let the dough rest for 2-3 minutes.
- On a floured surface, lightly knead dough by hand until smooth (about 30 seconds), then roll dough out with a rolling pin until the dough is even and about ¾" thick.
- Cut dough with a 3-4" round biscuit cutter or the bottom of a cup/jar (you can also cut into squares using a sharp knife) and place 1-2" apart on a lightly greased baking dish.
- Use your thumb and make a small indent on the top of the biscuit. (This will help them rise straigh on all sides)
- Beat egg in a small bowl with the milk. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the biscuits.
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter if desired. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Nutrition
More Bread Recipes We Love
- Cinnamon Twist Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Easy Homemade Cornbread
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Homemade White Bread
- Best Brunch Recipes
- Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Banana Muffins
- More Bread Recipes
- More Breakfast Recipes
These homemade flakey biscuit recipe, Baking Powder Biscuits are soft, fluffy, and made with real butter. Using only 5 simple ingredients, they are a cinch to make and quick to throw together. This homemade biscuit recipe is perfect for breakfast, alongside your favorite gravy, or made into a great sandwich.
Joey
The recipe called for 1.5 Tablespoons of baking soda, all they tasted like was straight baking soda. Was there a miss representation of baking soda, because they did not turn out good.
Jill Baird
The recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. Better luck next time. Sorry it didn't work out!
Julie
Best Biscuit Recipe EVER! I rarely make biscuits, they just seem time consuming and difficult. Your recipe was so easy to follow. 10 minutes to make the dough, 14 to bake the biscuits. And they turned out FANTASTIC! Flakey, buttery perfection. No more biscuits-in-a-can for me. These are 100 times better than the premade ones. Excellent recipe.
Kim
These were very good and soooo very easy!
Donna Zulock
I am a well seasoned cook who has been cooking for 60 years. The one thing I couldn't make were biscuits. This recipe came out so good, my husband loved them. I used cold butter and mixed the dry ingredients with the butter in a food processor. This recipe is a keeper.
Lisa
Very easy and came out perfect! So good! I made a double batch and froze half. Thank you for the recipe!
Kennedy
A quick and easy recipe! They do lack flavor though so I suggest adding a little more salt. I plan on adding more butter next time I make them and not doing the egg wash, it added an interesting texture on top that my family wasn’t a fan of.
Linda Grundman
Eating them as we speak soooooooo goooooood, thankyou.
Jill Baird
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Colleen
We don't get refrigerator biscuit dough in South Africa. Would your biscuits recipe be able to be used in all the recipe ideas for eg inside casseroles and not just as a topping?
Jill Baird
you bet!
Virginia
These were so easy to make and they froze and baked well from frozen. Defiantly a recipe to keep!!
Jill Baird
Thanks for letting me know! I'm so glad you love them too.
Debbie Jolley
These are the best biscuits. I make them and freeze them on a cookie sheet then put them in gallon bags. Great recipe!!
Tina
just made, delish will definitely use again. ????