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Home » Recipes » Sides

Flaky Baking Powder Biscuits from Scratch

Published: Mar 17, 2018 · Modified: May 8, 2024 by Tristin Rieken · 6 Comments

Making Flaky Baking Powder Biscuits from Scratch is easy with this wholesome recipe using only simple ingredients – all purpose flour, butter, milk, baking powder, a little salt and a pinch of sugar – and a foolproof technique!

Flaky baking powder biscuits made from scratch.
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Jump to:
  • How to make easy biscuits from scratch
  • How to make flaky tall biscuits
  • Ingredients
  • What to serve with biscuits
  • Make ahead biscuits
  • 📖 Recipe

How to make easy biscuits from scratch

Whether you enjoy them for breakfast with biscuits and gravy, dunk ’em in your soup or stew at dinner, or freeze for later, you’ll love start making your own biscuits from scratch with this easy recipe.

There’s nothing wrong with popping open a can and baking up some biscuits. But, there’s no need to buy canned biscuits when you can make your own as affordably and easy as this!

Biscuits with jam.

It takes only a few common kitchen staples and a few tricks you must know to make homemade biscuits that will leave you never needing to grab a can of biscuits again.

How to make flaky tall biscuits

There are a few techniques you must know to make flaky biscuits.

  • Keep everything cold – cold fats equal flakiness. This is because all the little bits of chilled fat melt during baking creating air pockets. Air pockets are just another name for flaky little delicious bites. To prevent dense biscuits always be thinking cold, cold, cold. Keep both the butter and milk chilling in the fridge until right up until you need to use them. Cut chilled butter into small cubes using a sharp knife.
  • Use a light hand – Then, use your hands (or a food processor!) to work cold butter into dry ingredients just until there are pea sized pieces throughout. Gently incorporate the cold milk just until dough comes together, three to four turns. It’s a very loose dough. The less it’s stirred the more tender and flaky the biscuits will be. Prevent the butter from warming and mixing completely in by working quickly and not working the dough too much.

For tall layers, it’s all about the fold and the cut. After the dough comes together, gently pat into a rectangle.  Then, bring both sides up to the middle, like a business envelope. Or, as I prefer to describe it..  a modified ‘hot dog fold’ from elementary school.

Biscuits from Scratch | flaky tender tall biscuits | flaky layers | easy biscuits made from scratch recipe homemade biscuits with butter

Do this a few times, being as gentle as possible. Then, cut the dough with as sharp a tool as you can find. For rounds, use a sharp biscuit or cookie cutter. Or, just use a sharp knife and cut into squares. Place biscuits close together on the baking sheet and bake.

Ingredients

  • All purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Sugar
  • Fine salt
  • Unsalted butter
  • Milk 
  • Optional – once you have the technique down you can try mixing in shredded cheese, fresh herbs, crispy bacon or ham, etc.
Homemade flaky baking powder biscuit ingredients.

What to serve with biscuits

Neither savory or sweet these Flaky Baking Powder Biscuits go just as well with butter and jam as they do with bacon and eggs (or sausage gravy!).

Looking for a sweet biscuit fit for dessert or perfect dipped in coffee? Check out my recipe for Strawberry Shortcakes with Sweet Biscuits!

Flaky baking powder biscuits served with jam.

Make ahead biscuits

Cut biscuit dough can be made ahead and refrigerated loosely covered up to 24 hours before baking. Or, freeze biscuit dough rounds on baking sheets and transfer to a freezer safe storage bag or container. Add 3-4 minutes to frozen biscuit baking time.

📖 Recipe

Flaky baking powder biscuits made from scratch.

Flaky Baking Powder Biscuits

Tall flaky baking powder biscuits made from scratch.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 biscuits
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Tristin Rieken

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
  • ¾ cup milk cold

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or grease with butter. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. 
    2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • Cut cold butter with a sharp knive into little cubes. Or, shred frozen butter with a box grater into little shards. Work butter into flour mixture until only pea sized pieces remain. Gently stir in the cold milk just 3 or 4 stirs until a loose dough is formed. 
    7 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup milk
  • Lightly dust work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Pat into a ½ inch thick rectangle and fold in thirds like a business letter. Pat into ½ thick rectangle and fold in thirds a second time. Pat down ½-3/4 inch thick and cut in circles with a sharp biscuit cutter or square with a sharp knife. Pressing together scraps of dough as needed to use all the biscuit dough. 
  • Bake until lightly browned and fully cooked in the center, about 15 minutes. Cool and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 215mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Made this recipe? Please share!Mention @freshflavorful or tag #FreshFlavorfulLife
Love, Tris

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Biscuits from Scratch | flaky tender tall biscuits | flaky layers | easy biscuits made from scratch recipe homemade biscuits with butter

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    4.34 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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  1. Brian Jones

    March 18, 2018 at 9:38 am

    5 stars
    I’m always intrigued when I see these, they are very different to anything we have in Europe but they always sound and look delicious!

    Reply
    • ONE armed MAMA

      March 19, 2018 at 10:18 pm

      Interesting! American biscuits can be super light and fluffy and flaky. Or, they can be dense and hard as hockey pucks! 😉

      Reply
  2. Corina Blum

    March 19, 2018 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    These sound delicious. I love the fact that they are a blank canvas so you can choose what to eat with them – sweet or savoury.

    Reply
  3. Jacqueline Debono

    March 19, 2018 at 12:00 pm

    5 stars
    Wow these biscuits sound super and as you say quite easy. Definitely want to try my hand at making them!

    Reply
  4. Beth Hoskins

    February 20, 2019 at 11:56 am

    5 stars
    i love biscuits and I am always wanting to try new recipes. I followed this recipe exactly, and they were delicious and beautiful. My husband doesn’t usually care much for biscuits, but ate 3, and recommended them to be made again.

    Reply
    • ONE armed MAMA

      February 20, 2019 at 11:57 am

      That’s so great to hear! I’m happy you and your husband both loved them ☺️

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Tristin Rieken, Welcome to Fresh Flavorful where I hope to inspire you with simple seasonal recipes and ideas to eat deliciously, entertain easily and adventure often.

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