Our Step-by-Step Guide to Making Homemade Biscuits (2024)

How to Cook
How to Bake

We'll show you how to make biscuits with our easy-to-follow instructions—plus score our best biscuit recipes and creative ideas for flavored biscuits.

Sheena Chihak, RD

Sheena Chihak is a registered dietitian, former food editor and current edit lead for BHG with over 17 years of writing and editing experience for both print and digital.

Learn about BHG's Editorial Process

Updated on December 17, 2023

Step 1: Gather the Ingredients

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What You Need:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup cold butter or 1/2 cup cold butter and 1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Step 2: Mix the Dough

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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until mixture is moistened.

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Step 3: Knead the Dough

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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together.
Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick.

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Step 4: Cut and Bake

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Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2 inch biscuit cutter; reroll scraps as necessary, and dip cutter into flour between cuts.
Place dough circles 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. If desired, brush with additional milk. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm.

Flaky Biscuits

Try These Variations!

Greek: Stir 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, 1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives, and 1/3 cup snipped dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) into flour mixture.
Chile Cheese: Stir 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 1 cup shredded cheese into the milk.
Cheddar and Prosciutto: Stir 3/4 cup shredded white cheddar, 1/3 cup sliced green onions, and 2 tablespoons chopped prosciutto into flour mixture.
Garlic and Herb: Stir 3 to 4 cloves minced roasted garlic and 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme into the milk.
Bacon and Blue Cheese: Stir 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese and 2 slices crumbled cooked bacon into flour mixture.
Pepper-Parmesan: Stir 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper into flour mixture. Sprinkle cut biscuits with Parmesan.
Chocolate Chip-Orange: Stir 1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces and 2 teaspoons shredded orange peel into flour. Sprinkle cut biscuits with sugar.
Cinnamon and Raisin: Use 2 tablespoons sugar in biscuits. Stir 1/3 cup raisins and 1 teaspoon cinnamon into flour mixture. Sprinkle cut biscuits with cinnamon-sugar.

Gas Station Biscuits

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my homemade biscuits turn out tough?

If your biscuits are tough and chewy, chances are you overhandled the dough. Kneading the dough too much causes the gluten to overdevelop, which leads to a firmer, more chewy texture. On the other hand, if your biscuits are floury and have an uneven texture, you may not have mixed them enough.
Is it better to use butter or shortening in biscuits?

It is a matter of personal preference, but biscuits made with butter tend to bake taller because the water in butter releases steam and creates a rise. Butter-based biscuits will also be more brown on the top and bottom because the milk solids from butter caramelize in ways that 100% fats (like shortening and lard) do not. That said, many biscuit bakers prefer to work with shortening because is easier. It has a higher melting point than butter, so it is more forgiving of being handled and it is more effective at reducing the formation of gluten.
Why does the butter in homemade biscuits have to be cold?

To get that flaky texture we love in homemade biscuits, you need pockets of intact butter. If your butter is too warm or is too incorporated into the dough, you won't get the flaky layers or the rise you desire. Before mixing your dough, chill your butter (or shortening) as well as your mixing bowl and flour. Once you start mixing, work quickly to combine, roll, and cut the dough. If you feel the butter beginning to melt, pop everything into the fridge and let the dough chill for 5 to 10 minutes before resuming your work.

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