Who doesn’t love a buttery, flaky, soft homemade biscuit slathered in butter and jam? It is one of life’s greatest pleasures! This biscuit recipe is my absolute favorite, because it is pretty much fool-proof and I always have the simple ingredients in my pantry. These biscuits are mile-high, golden brown on the top, and so soft and flaky in the middle. They are a true family favorite in our house, and the perfect vessel for some homemade jam or they make an excellent breakfast sandwich.
The only somewhat uncommon ingredient in my Buttery Homemade Biscuits is cream of tartar, which helps act as a leavening agent to give these biscuits their mile high flaky layers (along with the baking powder). The acidity in cream of tartar also can add a bit of tang to the flavor of the biscuits thanks to the acidity.
Preparing the Biscuit Dough
- Ensure butter has been chilled in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before beginning. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, and set aside.
- Grate the very cold butter using a box grater on the coarsest side. Stir the grated butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas.
- Stir cold milk into the mixture with a wooden spoon, until just combined. Do not over-work the dough.
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface, ensuring the dough is not too sticky to handle. Fold the dough in half, rotate 90 degrees, and fold in half again, repeating 3-4 times.
- Use your hands to spread the dough to an even 1″ thickness. Lightly flour a round 2 1/4″ biscuit cutter, and cut the dough using close cuts to get as many biscuits out of the dough as possible.
Drop the biscuits 1/2″ apart on the prepared baking sheet. Reshape the excess pieces and flatten to 1″ thickness again. Make more close cuts, using up as much of the biscuit dough as possible. You should be able to get 8-9 biscuits out of the dough.
Baking the Biscuits
With the top rack in the upper third of your oven, bake at 425 degrees for 12-13 minutes. Do not put the rack as high as it will go, but within the top third of the oven. The tops will turn golden brown, and there will be visible flaky layers in each biscuit.
And there they are – mile high, beautiful biscuits with minimal fuss.
They are so easy to make, and totally kid approved! The very best biscuit recipe you will ever find.
Serve warm with salted butter, jam, or honey. I had a small jar of homemade jam, and that really hit the spot with these fresh biscuits!
I ate two homemade biscuits right away, one with honey and one with jam! It’s just too hard to choose! Biscuits will stay fresh in an air-tight container for up to 4 days, not that they will last that long!
Buttery Homemade Biscuits
Equipment
- Biscuit Cutter
- Box Grater
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp Very Cold Salted Butter
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 pinch Kosher Salt
- 3/4 cup Whole Milk
Instructions
- Ensure butter has been chilled in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before beginning. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, and set aside.
- Grate the very cold butter using a box grater on the coarsest side. Stir the grated butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas.
- Stir the milk into the mixture with a wooden spoon, until just combined. Do not over-work the dough. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface, ensuring the dough is not too sticky to handle. Fold the dough in half, rotate 90 degrees, and fold in half again, repeating 3-4 times.
- Use your hands to spread the dough to an even 1" thickness. Lightly flour a round 2 1/4" biscuit cutter, and cut the dough using close cuts to get as many biscuits out of the dough as possible. Drop the biscuits 1/2" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Reshape the excess pieces and flatten to 1" thickness again. Make more close cuts, using up as much of the biscuit dough as possible. You should be able to get 8-9 biscuits out of the dough.
- With the top rack in the upper third of your oven, bake at 425 degrees for 12-13 minutes. Do not put the rack at the highest setting, but within the top third of the oven. The tops will turn golden brown, and there will be visible flaky layers in each biscuit.
- Serve warm with salted butter, jam, or honey.
Notes
Like this recipe? Try my Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes next!
