Name: How to Make Homemade Biscuits
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 12 biscuits
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 4 teaspoons baking powder; 3 tablespoons white sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1/2 cup butter (frozen or very cold); 3/4 cup whole or 2% milk

How to Make Homemade Biscuits

Quick and easy picture tutorial on how to make homemade biscuits with my tips and tricks to make it a simple process that makes the best biscuits around.

Prep10 min

Cook8 min

Total18 min

Serves12 biscuits

Published 3 Nov 2018

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This quick and easy picture tutorial shows youHow To Make Homemade Biscuits! Just follow these tips and tricks to make it a simple process that works every time and makes the best biscuits around.

This is my tried-and-true, all-time favorite,perfect-every-time Biscuit Recipe,and I wanted to give you a picture-by-picture guide to making them in your own home. I hope this helps take any questions out of the biscuit-making process so that you can master this recipe yourself. If homemade biscuits aren’t something you have mastered, it’s time!There’s nothing quite so delicious and comforting as a perfect biscuit.

(If you enjoy this easy biscuit recipe be sure to also try myBest Buttermilk BiscuitsandBest Homemade Chive Biscuitsrecipes.)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

They are perfect as a side or for sandwiches.
They are the perfect biscuits forHomemade Biscuits and Gravy
It’s the perfect starter biscuit recipe.

Ingredients

Flour
Baking Powder
Sugar
Salt
Cream of Tartar
Butter
Milk

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Homemade Biscuits

Step #1.Preheat the oven. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using the largest holes of a cheese grater, grate the butter into the bowl.

Step #3.Add the milk and stir until just combined – do not over mix.

Step #2.Stir butter into flour mixture. Stir until the butter is broken up and the mixture is well combined.

Step #4.Pat dough on a floured surface until it’s 3/4 inch thick. Cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter. Place the cut biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?

Whole wheat flour can be used, but the biscuits may not rise as well. It’s recommended to use a mix of half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour for a better texture and rise.

How do I prevent overmixing?

Stir the milk into the flour mixture until just combined. Overmixing can result in tougher biscuits, so stop once the dough holds together.

Can I make the biscuits ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the dough, cut the biscuits, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store them in a bag and bake them directly from frozen when needed.

Why didn’t my biscuits rise properly?

Possible reasons include using old baking powder, cutting the butter too finely, or pressing the dough too thin.

Expert Tips

The key to this recipe is super cold or frozen butter.I just keep a few sticks of butter in the freezer at all times, specifically for this recipe. If the butter is too warm your biscuits are going to spread instead of get tall. The butter will melt too quickly and though the biscuits will taste great, they will be ugly blobs of buttery heaven.
When shaping the dough, gently pat it down instead of rolling it with a pin.This helps maintain lightness in the biscuits.
When using a biscuit cutter, press straight down without twisting.Twisting the cutter seals the edges and can prevent the biscuits from rising properly.
Baking biscuits at a high temperature give them a golden, crispy exterior while keeping the inside soft and tender.

More Quick Bread Recipes to Consider

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How to Make Homemade Biscuits

This quick and easy picture tutorial shows you how to make homemade biscuits! Just follow these tips and tricks to make it a simple process that works every time and makes the best biscuits around.

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar.

Using the largest holes on a cheese grater, grate the butter into the bowl.

Stir butter into flour mixture. Stir until the butter is broken up and the mixture is well combined. A fork or a pastry blender work well for this step.

Add the milk and stir until just combined – do not over mix.

Pat dough on a floured surface until it’s 3/4 inch thick. Cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 10-12 2.5 inch biscuits.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve right away

Notes

Using very cold or frozen butter is great because it makes the biscuits flaky (same principle applies to pie crusts) and it's easy to grate on a cheese grater. No cheese grater? Use a sharp knife to cut the butter into small squares and then use a fork or a pastry blender to work it into the flour. I have made this recipe using half whole wheat flour and half white flour with great success (sometimes I'll need to add a few extra tablespoons of milk to accommodate the whole grain flour). I have tried it with 100% whole wheat flour and they didn't rise very well. I wouldn't recommend it. I highly recommend buying a biscuit cutter, too (I have and love these and these, both I got from the King Arthur Flour website. They double well as cookie and donut cutters too). The biscuit cutters are pretty sharp on the edge so you are cutting through the dough and not smashing it down. This will help your biscuits to rise tall. Don't be tempted to roll out your dough with a rolling pin. You'll get lighter, fluffier biscuits by patting your dough.

Nutrition

Calories165

Carbohydrates20

Cholesterol22

Fat8

Fiber1

Protein3

Saturated fat5

Sodium305

Sugar4