Best-Ever Homemade Biscuits
A warm biscuit straight from the oven brings me back to my childhood and my grandma's homemade blackberry jam. She made the best biscuits and taught me that a few simple ingredients, when carefully mixed together create a soft, pillowy roll of comfort. Biscuits can take on very different meanings in different parts of the world. In North America, they are meant to be a flaky and soft leavened quick bread. Ideally they should have tender flaky layers and an extra buttery taste. An easier alternative to dinner rolls and equally good at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
1. Make sure your butter is cold.
As in FROZEN cold. About 30 minutes before you plan to make your biscuits pop a stick of butter in the freezer. For the perfect biscuit texture we grate our butter into the flour. (Yes, with a cheese grater!) Extra cold butter will ensure it doesn't melt while you work the dough with your hand. And grating the butter will distribute the butter evenly, making lots of little pockets for it to melt while baking. In other words: It guarantees extra fluffy biscuits.
2. Don't be afraid to add more buttermilk.
Or less for that matter. A good biscuit maker is someone that can tell what the dough needs past what the recipe says. Unless you weigh out your flour each time, your amount will always vary slightly. Add the buttermilk slowly so that you know if your dough is becoming too wet. If you feel it's a little too dry add about 1 tablespoon of buttermilk at a time until it feels right. If you've already added all of your buttermilk and it's too sticky add just a bit more flour until the dough is easy to work with. A biscuit dough will be a little drier than you expect. Pockets of dryness while folding are fine. as long as the dough is holding together nicely.
3. Don't overwork the flour.
I'm sure you've heard this one before but it's still just as important. The more the flour gets mixed and worked, the more gluten develops. And over-activated gluten=tough and gummy baked goods—the complete opposite of what we are going for here. To avoid this problem, you're to pat your dough a lot while making biscuits. Once you feel the buttermilk is mixed in, use your hands to pat the dough into a rectangle. Your hands will be a much better guide than a spoon or any other tool. When folding your dough, don't be too tough when flattening it back together. Imperfection is beauty here.
4. Don't twist your biscuit cutter.
This is a simple yet fatal mistake. When using a cookie or biscuit cutter you're likely to naturally twist the cutter to make sure it cuts through the dough all of the way. Don't! Twisting the cutter causes the dough to pinch together and you won't get a proper rise on your biscuits. Instead, punch straight down and lift. If a few little strands are still connected, take a pairing knife or kitchen scissors and cut them loose. And flouring your biscuit cutter should prevent sticking!
Storing Biscuits
Like most baked goods, these biscuits are best day of and fresh out of the oven. They will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. Re-toast them in the oven for a few minutes to help make them warm and soft again! These also freeze well after being baked. Just thaw out in a 350° for several minutes until warm all the way through for a fresh tasting and buttery biscuit!
Tried making these flaky biscuits? Let us know how you liked them in the comments below.
Editor's Note: The introduction to this recipe was updated on August 21, 2020 to include more information about the dish.
all-purpose flour
baking powder
granulated sugar
kosher salt
(1 stick) butter, very cold, plus more for brushing
cold buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 425º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Using a box grater, grate butter over the flour mixture and quickly toss with your hands to incorporate. Then, using a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in 1 cup buttermilk. Stir until just beginning to come together, then dump out onto your work surface.
- Bring your dough together into a rectangle, about 1” thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like folding a letter to put into an envelope. Using a rolling pin, gently pat back into a 1” thick rectangle, and repeat the folding process two more times. Work fast so the butter does not melt.
- Once dough is folded three times, roll into a 1” thick rectangle again. Using a 2½” round biscuit or cookie cutter, quickly press down (don’t twist!) to cut out the biscuits and place onto baking sheet, about a half inch apart. Bring together dough scraps and cut out more biscuits.
- Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and bake until flaky and tops are lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Using a box grater, grate butter over the flour mixture and quickly toss with your hands to incorporate. Then, using a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in 1 cup buttermilk. Stir until just beginning to come together, then dump out onto your work surface.
- Bring your dough together into a rectangle, about 1” thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like folding a letter to put into an envelope. Using a rolling pin, gently pat back into a 1” thick rectangle, and repeat the folding process two more times. Work fast so the butter does not melt.
- Once dough is folded three times, roll into a 1” thick rectangle again. Using a 2½” round biscuit or cookie cutter, quickly press down (don’t twist!) to cut out the biscuits.
- Line air fryer basket with parchment paper. Working in batches, place biscuits in air fryer, about 1/2" apart. Brush tops with melted butter and cook at 400º until tops are lightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.
