Foolproof Flaky Biscuits + Video
The secret to Foolproof Flaky Biscuits is revealed! Find out how to get flaky, layered, buttery, tender biscuits you will swoon over!
One of my husband’s favorite breakfasts is biscuits and gravy. I don’t make it very often because I haven’t had the best luck and getting a tall, flaky biscuit worth making again and again. I have since learned the secret to flaky biscuits doesn’t necessarily lie in the recipe alone, but that the technique also helps get you those amazing, buttery layers! It really is foolproof!
I’m talking crisp exterior, peel apart layers, and a tender center! Did I mention these are oh so buttery?! Swoon! Slather on some apple butter, jelly or jam, butter and honey, whatever your pleasure, and enjoy these biscuits ASAP!
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Let me show you how to get the foolproof flaky layers… First off, it’s really important to have COLD butter when you make biscuits (or pie crust) because when the butter melts, it creates pockets of air to help make those flaky layers. Also, don’t crumble them all away. Pea size butter pieces are ideal.
After you add the buttermilk and the dough comes together, roll it out into roughly a 6×9-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Then cut that rectangle into thirds.
Here’s the trick! Stack each third on top of one another and roll the dough into a 6×9-inch rectangle again. This helps ensure you get those tall, flaky layers!
Using a 2 1/4 or 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut 9 (maybe 10) biscuits and place them on a silicone lined baking sheet. Do your best to piece together the scraps and use up all the dough with the layering technique, without overworking the dough or melting the butter with your warm hands.
If any of the edges kind of stick down, I stretch them before baking to help make sure they will grow tall and flaky. You can see in the picture below that they are pretty thick to start with, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inches tall, and you can see some chunks of butter and layering before they even go in the oven.
Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom. These are best enjoyed warm and crisp from the oven, but you can store leftovers in a zip-top bag for 3 or 4 days. I like to re-heat my leftover biscuits, one at a time, in the microwave for 10 to 12 seconds.
Foolproof Flaky Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into Tablespoons
- ¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk, cold (or milk plus 1 tsp of lemon juice/white vinegar; allow to sit for 5 minutes before using)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until pea size pieces.
- Add the cold buttermilk all at once and form into a ball.
- Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface, into a 6×9-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into thirds.
- Stack each third on top of one another and roll the dough into a 6×9-inch rectangle again.
- Using a 2¼ or 2½-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut 9 (maybe 10) biscuits and place them on a silicone lined baking sheet. Do your best to piece together the scraps and use up all the dough with the layering technique, without overworking the dough or melting the butter with your warm hands. (If any of the edges kind of stick down, I stretch them before baking to help make sure they will grow tall and flaky.)
- Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom.
Video
Notes
- Store any leftovers in a zip-top bag for 3 or 4 days. I like to re-heat my leftover biscuits, one at a time, in the microwave for 10 to 12 seconds.
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Yes that recipe is awesome! But it’s a heavy sausage ratio. I use half the sausage in that and we like that better.
2019 and i just used this recipe again, your instructions are so clear and you dont ramble on and on about the look of the biscuits before getting into how to make them like other sites. your simple and to the point and pictures are wonderful once i begin cooking i start to doubt myself sometimes, Thank you for a great platform to get the recipe from, and the biscuits are delicious. i used them for breakfast and dinner.
So glad you are enjoying this recipe! Thanks for your comment Amy!
Hi I just wanted to give you 2 tips I use…i always put my flour & butter mixture in the freezer for just a couple minutes after I’ve stirred/whisked in my grated butter (I always use grated frozen butter) so that any stirring/whisking I did to incorporate it didn’t warm up those small pieces of butter too much then I take it out and add the ice cold buttermilk. I also take about 2 tbsp grated butter that’s frozen & as I’m folding to create the layers (I’m going to try the stacking!) I sprinkle some of the grated butter into the layers!
Outstanding recipe, I used the milk and lemon juice as I didn’t have buttermilk, biscuits were flaky and just a little crispy on outside 10/10 will make again. Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your comment!
My 9 year old son baked these biscuits today with a little supervision from me, and they came out amazing! Thanks for the great recipe and clear instructions. The photos at each step are SO helpful! We can’t wait to try more recipes from your site. Up next is pumpkin chocolate chip bread!
That’s so great! I love that your son is in the kitchen baking at a young age! Hope you enjoy the pumpkin chocolate chip bread too! Thanks for your comment.
Was looking for a flaky biscuit recipe, and these fit the bill perfectly! I didn’t have buttermilk but I had powdered goat milk which I reconstituted and added the lemon juice. I also used sprouted spelt flour instead of wheat. The foldover was the charm! They came out flaky, with just the right amount of crunch to make the perfect bacon and egg sandwiches! A major crowd pleaser! Thank you so much for this!
That’s so great! Thanks for sharing your experience!
A little late to the party but I’m so glad I saw your comment! I also use sprouted spelt flour so I’m going to try it right now, I’ve only used the spelt flour for tortillas, excited to try this biscuit recipe.
New to biscuit making. These were so easy and tasted so delicious! I don’t plan to look any further for any new recipes for biscuits. Thank you!
Aw yay! So glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
Didn’t stack layers, but they are nice and fluffy. Shopping day today, so I’m low on everything… no milk, so I used sour cream…perfect!
That’s great to know! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Delicious and easy! This is now my favorite go-to biscuit recipe. Thanks for sharing!
That’s great! Thanks for your comment!
Can I make these without buttermilk? Also, can I make them the night before and cook them the next morning?
Hi Linda! You can use regular milk, or milk mixed with 1 tsp of white vinegar or lemon juice if you don’t have buttermilk and still want that tang. The acid also reacts with the baking powder for a fluffier biscuit.
As far as making them ahead, I would either freeze the biscuits and bake them straight from the freezer, or bake them and reheat them the next day (350˚F for 6-8 minutes to reheat.) The baking powder loses it’s leavening action a few hours after being mixed. Refrigeration isn’t ideal.