Baking Powder Biscuits

a pile of golden stacked biscuits with a jar of honey.

4.50 from 2 votes

Making biscuits from scratch is simple and easy thanks to this baking powder biscuits recipe. I love making fresh biscuits now and then and these ones never disappoint. Made with basic pantry staples it's a great recipe to keep on hand.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Nicole Durham

Cost: Recipe $1.62 / Serving $0.14

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.26)
1 tablespoon baking powder ($0.15)
1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar ($0.01)
½ cup salted butter, frozen ($0.99)
¾ cup milk ($0.20)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar.
Cut in butter. Grate the frozen butter using a cheese grater. Add it to the flour mixture and gently stir with a fork until evenly distributed.
Add milk. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring just until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may not need all of the milk.
Laminate the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it to about ¼ inch thick. Fold the dough in half and repeat flattening and folding 3 to 4 times to create layers.
Cut biscuits. Roll the dough out to ½ inch thick. Cut into rounds using a biscuit cutter. Brush off excess flour and place biscuits spaced apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to brown.
Finish. Brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm.

Notes

Texture. Handle the dough gently to keep biscuits light and flaky.
Butter. Frozen butter works best. Cold cubed butter may be used as an alternative.
Substitution. Shortening can replace butter. Use ⅓ cup shortening and cut it into the flour until coarse crumbs form, then proceed as directed.
Best results. Larger butter shreds help create visible layers and flakiness.

Nutrition