All-Purpose Biscuits
Updated Dec. 16, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2tablespoons baking powder
- 1scant tablespoon sugar
- 1teaspoon salt
- 5tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, preferably European style
- 1cup whole milk
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
204 calories; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 287 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
- Step 2
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat two more times. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter (or even a glass, though its duller edge may result in slightly less tall biscuits). Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
- Step 4
Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Private Notes
Comments
No, please don't turn the oven on to 425 degrees as your first step. No need to waste energy while you let the biscuits rest for 30 minutes!
Freeze the butter and then grate it. Use a fork to mix up the dough. Works like a charm and no need to wash the bowl of a food processor!
I'm 78, Southern and these were the best biscuits I've ever made. Probably because I followed the recipe and used 2 tablespoons of baking powder.
Geez and from and a Yankee!
As a southern biscuit enthusiast, this is hands-down the best everyday biscuit recipe. It seems like a lot of baking powder, but it turns out perfect. As another commenter recommended, instead of cutting the butter I melt the butter and add to very cold milk before adding to the try mix. It’s a great low-mess way to get even butter incorporation, and makes them reheat better if frozen. Using whole milk is great because it’s always in the house.
The taste of these biscuits was great, and they came out light & fluffy on the inside. I did find that some of my biscuits rose more nicely than others - after cutting out 6, I patted the excess dough together to squeeze out 3 more. Funnily enough, the second batch biscuits had a higher rise than the first. Next time I'll do another round of folding & patting on the dough after it rests and before I cut.
I made this old school, using a hand pastry cutter to blend in the butter. (And what is so special about "European style" butter anyway?). I also folded the dough more than recommended and used a roller to roll it out. What is strange about this recipe is that it doesn't tell you what to do with the dough that is left over after you cut the biscuits out of it. Anyone who has made biscuits knows that you ball up the remaining dough and roll it out again and cut more biscuits out of it!