Homemade butter biscuits need just six pantry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, a spoonful of sugar, cold butter and milk. Cut the butter into the flour, stir in the milk, fold the dough a few times and cut out tall rounds. They bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes and come out golden on top and tender inside. The recipe makes 8.
How to make simple butter biscuits: Whisk the dry ingredients, cut in the cold butter until crumbly, and stir in cold milk just until a shaggy dough forms. Fold it 3 to 4 times, pat it 1 inch thick, cut straight down with a round cutter and bake until golden.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Six ingredients: nothing you won’t already have.
- 25 minutes: 10 to mix and cut, 15 to bake.
- Flaky layers: cold butter and a few gentle folds make them rise tall.
- Endless uses: breakfast with jam, a side for soup, or the base for biscuits and gravy.
The Secret to Fluffy Butter Biscuits
It comes down to keeping the butter cold and the dough barely mixed:
- Cold butter. Little pieces of cold butter melt in the hot oven and puff the dough into layers. Chop it and keep it in the fridge until you need it.
- Cold milk. Cold liquid keeps the butter from softening while you mix.
- Don’t overmix. Stir only until a shaggy dough forms. Overworked dough bakes up tough and flat.
- Fold, don’t knead. Three or four gentle folds build layers without toughening the dough.
- Cut straight down. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and stops the rise.
- A hot oven. 425°F sets the outside fast while the inside puffs.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour: 2 cups, spooned into the cup and leveled.
Baking powder: 1 tablespoon, for a tall rise. Check that it’s fresh.
Salt and sugar: ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar for flavor and a golden top.
Butter: ½ cup, cold and chopped into small pieces.
Milk: ¾ cup, cold. Buttermilk works too and gives a slight tang.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup butter, cold and chopped
- ¾ cup milk (or buttermilk, cold)
How to Make Butter Biscuits
1. Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3. Cut in the butter. Add cold butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using a fork or hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the milk. Pour in milk and stir gently until a shaggy dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
5. Fold. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Fold it over 3–4 times gently to bring it together.
6. Cut. Pat or roll the dough to about 1-inch thick. Cut biscuits using a round cutter or glass, pressing straight down.
7. Arrange. Place biscuits on baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.
8. Bake. Bake for 12–15 minutes until tops are golden. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
How Thick Should Biscuit Dough Be?
Pat or roll the dough about 1 inch thick. Thinner dough bakes into short, crisp biscuits; a full inch gives you tall, fluffy ones with room for the layers to open. Press the scraps together gently for a second round of cutting, knowing those biscuits will be a little less tender than the first batch.
Variations
- Cheddar and chive: stir shredded cheddar and chopped chives into the dry ingredients.
- Parmesan garlic: add grated Parmesan to the dough and brush the hot biscuits with garlic butter.
- Sweet shortcake: add a little more sugar and a splash of vanilla, then serve with strawberries and whipped cream.
- Buttermilk: swap the milk for cold buttermilk.
- Drop biscuits: skip the folding and cutting and drop spoonfuls of dough onto the pan.
What Are Butter Swim Biscuits?
Butter swim biscuits are a different, even easier style: a soft buttermilk dough is spread in a pan over a layer of melted butter, scored into squares and baked, so the butter soaks up through the bottom. They’re softer and richer, with no cutting or folding. The rolled biscuits on this page are the classic flaky kind with distinct layers.
Make Ahead & Storage
Freeze unbaked: Cut the biscuits, freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
Baked biscuits: Biscuits are best the day they are baked. Keep leftovers in an airtight container and warm them in the oven before serving, or freeze them for longer storage and reheat from frozen.
What to Serve With Them
Serve warm with butter, honey or jam, alongside soup or stew, or split for breakfast sandwiches.
More biscuit recipes: creamed chicken and biscuits casserole, bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole, Southern 3-ingredient cheddar biscuit bites, cinnamon sugar biscuit bites, garlic butter cheese bombs and 3-ingredient biscuit ranch bombs.
If you enjoy these biscuits, try Blueberry Biscuits for a tender buttermilk biscuit filled with blueberries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a simple butter biscuit?
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, cut in cold butter, stir in cold milk, fold a few times, cut and bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes.
What’s the secret to fluffy butter biscuits?
Cold butter, minimal mixing, a few gentle folds and cutting straight down without twisting.
Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
Yes. Use the same amount of cold buttermilk.
Why are my biscuits flat?
Usually the butter got warm, the dough was overmixed, the baking powder was old or the cutter was twisted.
Can I freeze biscuit dough?
Yes. Freeze the cut biscuits and bake them from frozen.
Can I make them without a biscuit cutter?
Yes. Use a drinking glass, or cut the dough into squares with a knife.
How do I store leftover biscuits?
In an airtight container. They are best the day they are baked, so freeze any you won’t eat soon and rewarm them in the oven.
Final Notes
Keep everything cold, mix as little as you can and cut straight down. If you try the cheddar-chive or Parmesan garlic version, tell me in the comments how they turned out.
Butter Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup butter cold and chopped
- ¾ cup milk or buttermilk, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add cold butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using a fork or hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in milk and stir gently until a shaggy dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface. Fold it over 3–4 times gently to bring it together.
- Pat or roll the dough to about 1-inch thick. Cut biscuits using a round cutter or glass, pressing straight down.
- Place biscuits on baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes until tops are golden. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
