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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and don’t twist whatever you’re using to cut out the biscuits because that seals the edges and keeps the biscuits from rising
These were delish! Not quite as tall as yours but so tasty! I will make them again and again.
I have found that instead of microwaving leftover biscuits lightly toasting them brings back that fresh crispness. They are almost better than fresh. This also works marvelously for pancakes, something I had never imagined would be acceptable as a leftover. This way I don’t feel like I need to eat a whole batch to get the best out of them!
Great tip. Thanks for sharing!
These biscuits are amazing. I have made them several times. I learned a tip to if you grate frozen butter you can stir it in.
Thank you for posting this recipe! It was easy to follow and the product was super good 🙂 I’ve made my own buttermilk two ways: one with lemon juice and one with vinegar, and, at least for this particular recipe, both ways worked great. Sometimes I use frozen butter to ensure a good final product, since I live in the middle of the desert and the butter tends to melt really quickly haha.
Glad it’s working well for you. And smart to freeze the butter if it’s that hot where you live!
During the quarantine, I was furloughed for 2 weeks. To keep myself busy during furlough I picked 14 biscuit recipes (traditional but different). A new and different recipe each day. I picked 8 taste testers and made daily, safe, and sanitized porch drop offs. Each day the tasters would fill out a biscuit form/survey and score the biscuit across different categories. I wanted to report that this was a recipe I chose to make and this recipe was the WINNER with nearly perfect scores for taste, rise, and presentation. This recipe is AMAZING. I was blown away, as were my testers. Thank you for posting it. I’ll forever make these biscuits. They’re the best (and i have data to back it up LOL)
The only thing i did different was make the biscuits square to eliminate waste and re-rolling. Forgot to add that to the initial review….
Wow! What a wonderful thing to keep you busy during quarantine. I’m glad so many people were able to try these, thanks to YOU. And I’m thrilled that they were the top pick! Thanks for coming back to share your experience with the recipe Cody!
I made these and followed the recipe as written. I used lemon juice and milk. They smell and taste delicious! Now I have to keep my three-year-old away from them so we can have them for dinner lol
Haha. They are definitely tempting! Glad your family enjoyed this recipe Megan!
These are delicious. Very easy to make. Thank you
So glad you liked these biscuits Karen!
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this recipe! It worked well and tasted great. I don’t have a pastry blender, so I used a food processor. Baking times are accurate. I added 1/4 a teaspoon of ginger, not for taste(because that amount doesn’t alter the taste), but for a second rising agent. I loved the addition of folding the dough to enhance the flake. Thanks again, Amber! A keeper for sure. 🙂
My dough was way too wet, I had to add another 1 1/2 cup of flour to get to any consistency. What did I do wrong ?
Hmm. That’s interesting. I’m not sure why it would be so wet. You used 3/4 cup of buttermilk/milk with the 2 cups of flour? Hopefully they were still okay after they baked with the additional flour.