Homemade biscuits are quick, easy, and amazingly fluffy. This recipe uses just 5 simple ingredients and comes together in a flash.
Biscuits are one of my favorite things to bake and it is well established among family and friends that I take biscuit making very seriously. Ha! But for real, I will not eat a bad biscuit.
Biscuits are not hard to make, but there are a few things you need to get right in order to have the biscuits turn out perfectly. I’ve made these so many times that I actually don’t even measure most of the ingredients anymore. That’s how easy they are!
How to Make Homemade Biscuits
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Cut in the shortening (or butter) until it’s very evenly distributed throughout the dough, leaving pea-sized clumps.
- Add just enough milk for the dough to come together and mix until the dough is just barely combined. Do not overmix!
- Portion the dough into 8-9 biscuits, depending on size. I just use my hands to rip off some dough and press it into about a 1-inch thick circle.
- Place on a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet and bake in a preheated oven until just barely golden on top.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
The most important steps are cutting in the shortening or butter and not overmixing! Cutting in the shortening or butter is what creates the flakey layers in the biscuits. The largest clumps of shortening or butter should be no bigger than a pea because that is what gives you the optimum layer size inside of the biscuit.
Mixing the dough until it just barely comes together is what creates a fluffy biscuit. The more you mix the dough, the tougher it becomes (more gluten is developed) and we want the biscuits to be soft and tender. If you do those two things, you’ll be sure to have amazing biscuits every single time!
Can Homemade Biscuits be Made Ahead of Time
I wouldn’t make homemade biscuits too far in advance of when you want to eat them. They are best fresh and used the same day they are made. However, homemade biscuits can be frozen! Just let them cool completely and then wrap them individually and store them in a freezer bag.
At what temperature do I bake homemade biscuits?
Another question I get all the time with this recipe is about the oven temperature. In this recipe, I have 475ºF listed. No, this is not a typo. Yes, this is the actual temperature I bake the biscuits at. Why is the temperature so high? Because this is what creates that crusty outside while cooking the center all the way through but leaving it soft.
If you are nervous about baking the biscuits at such a high temperature, you can lower the temperature to 425ºF. You’ll need to adjust the baking time up and the biscuits won’t be as soft.
This homemade biscuit recipe is really quick to put together. I can usually get everything mixed up before my oven is done preheating. If you want an even quicker version of biscuits, check out my Homemade Biscuit Mix recipe! It will leave you one step closer to delicious biscuits.
Easy Homemade Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour all purpose
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup shortening or butter
- 1 1/2 cups milk up to 2 cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Cut in the butter to the dry ingredients until it is the size of peas.
- Gradually add the milk until all the dry ingredients are absorbed, you may need up to two cups.
- Form the dough into about 9 biscuits, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place on a lined baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet.
- Bake about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the top and the bottom.
Meg says
These biscuits are fantastic. I’m a girl who LOVES biscuits & gravy and these did not disappoint. I halved the recipe (there’s only two of us) and used buttermilk instead of regular milk (just because I happened to have some). They came together quickly and tasted delicious. I will definitely make them again.
Alli says
I’m so happy that you guys liked them, Meg!! Thank you for letting me know.
Alli says
So light and flakey!