Description
This is the easiest homemade biscuit recipe that yields fluffy, tender biscuits perfect for breakfast or as a side for any meal. Using simple pantry ingredients like unbleached all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cold butter, these biscuits come together quickly and bake to a golden perfection in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 stick cold butter, grated
For Finishing
- Olive oil or melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to mix evenly.
- Add Butter: Grate 1/2 stick of cold butter directly into the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter, your hands, or a fork to incorporate the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add Milk or Buttermilk: Pour in 1 cup of milk or buttermilk to the crumbly mixture. Stir gently just until the dough comes together to avoid overmixing, which can toughen the biscuits.
- Shape the Dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead lightly by turning the dough a few times and then roll it out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness, depending on your preference for thicker or thinner biscuits.
- Cut Biscuits: Use a biscuit cutter or a mason jar lid to cut out 7 to 8 biscuits from the rolled dough.
- Prepare for Baking: Place the cut biscuits on a prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with olive oil or melted butter to help them brown and add flavor.
- Bake: Bake the biscuits in a preheated 400°F (204°C) oven for 12–15 minutes. Check after 10–12 minutes; when the biscuits feel firm and spring back lightly when touched, they are done.
- Optional Browning: If the biscuit tops are not browned enough to your liking, place them under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
Notes
- For fluffier biscuits, use buttermilk instead of regular milk.
- Do not overmix the dough to keep biscuits light and tender.
- Keep the butter cold to create flaky layers inside the biscuits.
- Brush with melted butter after baking for extra richness if desired.
- You can freeze raw biscuits on a baking sheet and bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to baking time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: easy biscuits, homemade biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, quick bread, fluffy biscuits
