Description
This homemade biscuit recipe delivers soft, flaky, and buttery biscuits made from scratch using simple ingredients. The key technique involves grating frozen butter into the dry flour mixture to create a tender texture, followed by folding the dough multiple times to develop layers. Perfectly golden when baked, these biscuits are delicious served warm with butter, jam, or alongside savory meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick, frozen for 1 hour)
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cane sugar, and sea salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasonings.
- Add Butter: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the flour mixture. Toss to coat the butter with flour, then use your hands to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or a coarse meal texture.
- Add Milk and Form Dough: Pour in the milk or buttermilk and mix gently with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead lightly with your hands to incorporate any remaining dry flour, forming a cohesive dough.
- Roll and Fold Dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat or roll it into a ½-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, pat or roll again to ½-inch thickness. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the fold and roll process a total of four times, dusting the surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. This layering helps create flaky biscuits.
- Cut Biscuits: After final folding, pat or roll out the dough to ½-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 6 biscuits. Gather and re-roll any scraps as needed to cut out additional biscuits.
- Bake: Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and biscuits have risen through flaky layers.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool on a rack for about 5 minutes before serving warm with butter, jam, or your favorite accompaniments.
Notes
- For best results, use frozen butter grated into the flour to ensure flakiness. Alternatively, cube cold butter and use a pastry cutter to blend into the flour.
- These biscuits are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven while warm and fluffy.
- You can substitute buttermilk for whole milk to add slight tang and tenderness.
- Keep all ingredients cold to help produce flaky layers.
- Try serving with honey, jam, or alongside breakfast dishes or soups.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
