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Light, fluffy homemade biscuits, as made by my dad! His biscuits are seriously the best. We’re sharing all of his tips and tricks below. Scroll down to get straight to the recipe or keep reading to find out how to make homemade biscuits!
I recently shared a photo of my dad’s famous homemade biscuits on Instagram and you guys ate them up. Figuratively, of course. Literally, I did the eating.
I wanted to be sure that I had his biscuit recipe down pat before I shared with you, so I spent the next few weeks making batch after batch. We ended up making 10 batches of 10 biscuits each. It took me awhile to be sure I had them juuuuuust right.
I also wanted to make sure that I could answer any questions you guys might have and I knew that meant mastering the homemade biscuit.
I spent some time with my dad and he showed me all of his tips and tricks for making the perfect homemade biscuits. And then I came home and I made an unholy amount of biscuits over the course of the next few weeks.
Can confirm I am now a biscuit master.
Will I still make our 7 Up Biscuits? Absolutely – those are easy and delicious. But the truth is that this biscuit recipe from my dad will always have my heart!
Ingredients for Homemade Biscuits:
The Flour: You’re going to use a mixture of all-purpose flour and Bisquick biscuit mix. I haven’t tried this with any substitutions and I haven’t tried it with a homemade Bisquick biscuit mix myself, so I can’t tell you how well that will work. If you do try it, please report back so I can update this!
The Butter: We’re using softened butter instead of cold butter. I know, your whole life you’ve heard that you need to use cold butter! Some of you are probably grating frozen butter into your biscuits. This recipe works perfectly with room temperature butter!
The Leavening Agents: There’s a lot of baking powder in this recipe. I was actually pretty surprised by the amount my dad uses. But it doesn’t have a metallic or soapy taste! Baking soda is normally used when there is an acid present – like buttermilk, lemon, or vinegar, There isn’t any in this recipe, but my dad still adds a little baking soda and it just isn’t the same without it!
The Milk: You can use buttermilk if you really feel the need to, but my dad uses regular 2% milk and so do I. I actually prefer the biscuits that way. They get too tangy for me when you use buttermilk.
What Readers are Saying!
“I have never made homemade biscuits before so this was my first attempt. Oh my goodness! They turned out amazingly delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and tips!!” – Christen
How to Make Homemade Biscuits:
Dry Ingredients: These aren’t your average Bisquick biscuits! That means you’ll be adding some extra ingredients to the mix.
Add the Bisquick biscuit mix, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
Wet Ingredients: Now you can start adding in the butter. Start with two tablespoons and work it into the flour, then repeat with the remaining butter. Next you can pour in the milk and stir it with a spoon until just combined. To finish fold the dough over on itself three times.
Shape: Pat the dough out into a circle about 3/4 of an inch thick onto a floured surface.
Helpful Tip!
Is the dough too soft to work with?
You may need to add more flour if the mixture is too wet. Just add in a tablespoon at a time until the dough is dry enough to handle.
Helpful Tip!
Don’t be shy about re-rolling the dough!
Get in there and re-roll that dough to get extra biscuits. You’ll probably get about 5 biscuits from your initial pat down of the dough. Definitely pat it back out and cut out the remaining biscuits. My dad isn’t at all shy about re-working the dough and you shouldn’t be either.
Bake: Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and let them sit for 5 minutes before baking. They’ll take about 10 to 15 minutes in the oven or until the tops begin to turn golden brown!
FAQ:
These brown spots are happening because you’re not mixing the dry ingredients together well enough. I won’t make you sift things (heaven forbid), but do really stir everything together, more than you think you probably need to. At least 30 seconds of non-stop stirring things around with a fork. Trust me. Even if you do end up with brown spots, the biscuits will taste great, they’re just not quite as pretty.
Is your baking powder old? It does eventually stop working well and you may need to replace it. If it’s definitely not that, are you mixing in your butter really super-duper good? Because you need to. I take a spoon and smear the softened butter into the flour against the sides of the bowl. I keep at it long after I’m bored of it, until the entire bowl looks like lightly damp sand. Almost like if you grabbed a handful of it and squeezed it, it *might* stick together.
Add in more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s just workable. The very least amount of flour you can get away with is the best in these biscuits, but don’t be killing yourself trying to roll out dough that is just too sticky. When you touch it, your hand should come away clean. When you pinch it, you should have a bit of dough left on your fingers.
Sounds like you overworked the dough or added too much flour. I had this problem the first few times I made these too. Just use a light hand when mixing and add just enough flour to hold the dough together.
Some days these guys only take ten minutes and other days they take 15. I can’t explain it (Humidity? Magic?), but I’m aware of it. I’m also aware that every oven is different. Some heat evenly, some do not. Some can’t hold a temperature and are fluctuating like crazy. So, get to know your oven and react accordingly. Or just set the timer for 10 minutes and start babysitting them. Pull them when the tops are just lightly golden. Nobody likes a crunchy biscuit, so don’t over bake these guys.
How to serve these biscuits:
- Cinnamon Honey Butter is the perfect topping!
- Sausage Gravy is a classic.
- Use these biscuits in my biscuits and gravy casserole.
- Chocolate Gravy is a Southern favorite and the kids will love it!
- Of course, butter and jam is always a win.
MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES!
- Fruit Loop Donuts
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Keto Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl
- Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Air Fryer Sausage Patties
- Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Easy Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour, plus more as needed
- 1 cup Bisquick
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Add the flour, Bisquick, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- Add two tablespoons of the butter to the dough and use a spoon to press it into the flour mixture. I find it easiest to smear the butter against the sides of the bowl while working it into the flour. Once the first two tablespoons are completely incorporated, add in the last two tablespoons and repeat the process.
- Pour in the milk and stir with a spoon until just combined. The dough will likely be too wet. Add in more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is just dry enough to handle. Dough should come away clean from your fingers when you touch it, but stick to your fingers if you pinch it.
- Dump dough onto a well floured work surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour.
- Fold dough over on itself three times.
- Use your hands to pat the dough to 3/4 of an inch high.
- Cut dough out with biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet. Let sit 5 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until tops are just beginning to turn golden. Do not overbake these!
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in March 2016. It’s been updated with a new video and FAQ section in March 2018.
Brenda LAFone says
Loved this recipe however I don’t put sugar in them.
Stephanie Robles says
Just finished making these delicious biscuits. Very good recipe. I will definitely make these again.
Karly says
Awesome! Thanks, Stephanie!
Stormy Williams says
Super easy, fluffy, melt in your mouth biscuits! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Linda Jones says
Watch these biscuits when the are close to being done; mine burned on the bottom after 12 min. They tasted good, but were a bit crumbly. I don’t think would use this recipe again.
Alex says
I’ve been trying to perfect biscuits for years. These are hands down the best I have ever made. They are delicious and flaky. These will now be my go-to recipe.
Karly says
Love to hear that!!
Kwame says
These were AMAZING. I used shortening instead of butter because I couldn’t wait for the butter to get to room temp lol. Not to worry, I brushed the tops of the hot biscuits with copious amounts of melted butter straight from the oven.
Robby Rollins says
I’ve made these biscuits twice now (with very minor tweaks), and have to agree that this is THE best, no-fail, recipe, that I have ever come across. I was so pleased with the results on the second try that I had to share it with friends and family. I took no credit for the recipe, and made sure to provide the link to this page so others could read about it for themselves. My mother-in-law made them this morning and said that my father-in-law said that he liked these the best of any she has made before. In-law approved! Thanks so much to you and your dad for sharing this recipe! This Southern cook no longer has to carry the shame of not being able to make a good biscuit! LOL!
Karly says
Oh gosh, love to hear this! Thanks, Robby!
B VanD says
This is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to be able to use Bisquick to make rollout biscuits. This recipe delivered the best results I’ve ever had making biscuits. I did eliminate the sugar and used buttermilk instead of regular milk. Turned out perfect! Thank you!
Sean says
This is the best biscuit recipe I’ve found! I make these vegan by using earth balance and oat or almond milk. They always turn out soooo good!
Karly says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Sean!
Seeju Dupre says
WoW!!!!!! I tried this recipe for the first time. Light and fluffy with great flavor. Please thank your dad for an awesome recipe.
Karly says
Thank you!
Melissa says
Can you freeze these?! If so how?
Karly says
Hi Melissa! I haven’t tried freezing them, but I’d probably do so before baking. Cut them out, put on a lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour or two. Transfer to a freezer bag and then bake from frozen. You may need to adjust the time and temp when baking, but I haven’t tested it.
Kerry Carter says
Made these this morning. I used Rice Milk (stable unrefrigerated on shelf during shelter in place). My biscuits didn’t really rise much, and had a crumbly texture. I’m wondering if the fact that there is no fat in the rice milk is the reason why. Doesn’t sound logical, but wanted your thoughts.
By the way, for anyone lactose intolerant, or who can’t shop every week, this rice milk, Dream, is absolutely delicious. Sits in your pantry till you open it. Some things you cook, you don’t want an almond or coconut flavor. Dream is soooo good, even as a glass of milk. Amazon and Target have it online if your grocery store doesn’t.
Karly says
Hi Kerry! My guess is that it was the rice milk – alternate milks don’t always work the same as dairy.
Ashley Mills says
Amazing! I doubled the recipe and our family of 5 ate them up!! Thank you so much for sharing! I followed directions and tips exactly. These were perfect & delicious, again thank you so much for sharing!
Nick K. says
These were so fantastic. I think I added a bit too much flour during the “wet” stirring step, and left them in a minute or 2 longer than I should have, but they were so tasty. Thank you (and your dad) so much for this recipe, we will be using this frequently!! 🙂
Karly says
Hi Nick! So glad you gave them a try…they definitely took me a couple of tries to get them exactly how I want them, so just keep making them. You’ll learn how much flour you prefer and how long to bake. 🙂
Lisa says
So, to the people huffing that this is not really home made because it uses Bisquick, I say: I just made this recipe and dirtied 1 bowl, sifter, spoon, butter knife, 1 cup measuring cup, fork, 3 different measuring spoons, glass for cutting biscuits, baking tray, the counter, and my hands. Y’all, this is a traditional biscuit recipe with ONE MORE INGREDIENT ADDED. So please, stick a biscuit in it.
Now, as for the recipe itself: maybe in the arid steppes of North Dakota you could use 1 cup of liquid to 2 cups flour, but not, apparently, in the humid Gulf Coast. I’d use 3/4 cup milk in future, as I ended up stirring in about 1/2 cup more flour all told and got some tougher than I’d like results. However, the techniques of stirring the dry ingredients well and smooshing the room temp fat thoroughly into the flour are solid, and I made a second batch of biscuits that came out great. Thanks for the tips!