Basic Biscuits

This recipe fails to note the two most important things to remember when making biscuits: (1) ALWAYS use COLD butter/margarine/shortening; that makes for a flaky biscuit. And (2)NEVER NEVER NEVER twist the cutter when you're cutting out the biscuits. Twisting prevents them from rising.

EXCELLENT recipe!First time I ever made biscuits that weren't as heavy as rocks. My husband grew up on home made biscuits and thought they were as good as any he had ever eaten. Made 2 batches, one with milk and one with buttermilk, both turned out pretty much the same, we just prefer them made with buttermilk. Also, I make 4 batches at a time as they freeze really well. Just be sure to roll them in flour and lay on a tray flat in the freezer. When they have frozen I put them in a zipperer bags and store in freezer.

My mom has been trying for years to teach me to make biscuits, I can never remember the recipe. This was very similar to hers and worked great. Just be careful not to over mix your dough.

Instead of the shortening,I use butter.Keep it frozen and then grate right into dry ingredients.Blend gently with your fingers.Saves so much time and work.Easy recipe,tender biscults that raise nice and taste good.

Got a craving for biscuits 30 minutes ago. Found this recipe. Here I sit now, in pools of melty butter. YUM! I did use lard instead of shortening. Barely handled the dough at all. IMPORTANT FOR NEW BISCUIT BAKERS: when using a glass or cookie cutter DON'T TWIST IT for any reason. This in effect "seals" the edges of the dough and will prevent from baking up sky high and delectable. I did make mine huge - recipe yielded 5 - and I couldn't be happier. Best biscuits I have ever made. Thank you!!!

biscuits turned out good. I adjusted the recipe a little. I used sourmilk, added 1 tbs sugar. Also I rolled dough to about 1in thick and let stand 10min then brushed with butter. This is the best recipe i have tried so far. Will make again.

Very good recipe. I kneaded the dough a little to make them more dense. Ummm Ummm good!

These are the best! My 13 year old daughter made them and she had no problem.They weren't dry and tasted wonderful. Everyone complimented her on them. I will definitely use this recipe again.

To those who are coming out with dense biscuits that don't rise, you are kneading them too much. Mix the milk in just barely enough to moisten the whole mixture and only knead a few times. Your biscuits will come out light and fluffy every time.

Did not rise at all... don't think it was my ingredients, I'd used them for something else earlier that came out fine. I told my kids these were "bread cookies" and some of them were eaten, but...I didn't care for this recipe.

FINALLY a biscuit recipe that actually turns out. This is the fourth biscuit recipe I have tried from this site and this was the first one that turned out flakey and soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. I used butter and grated it with a cheese grater like someone suggested. Then I turned it out onto the counter, flattened it slightly, and cut it into pieces with a knife rather than making perfect circles. So easy and will definitely be my regular biscuit recipe!

These turned out perfect and I am not a great cook! I kneeded them a bit too, about 8-10 times.

This was my first attempt at making biscuits and they came out perfectly. All I had was skim milk and heavy whipping cream so I used half of each to make up my 3/4c milk. I also went ahead and greased my sheet with margarine and melted some margarine to brush over the biscuits. They came out amazing.

these turn out great every time.

tasty!

Finally! after 25 years of marriage, I was successful in making biscuits. I've tried many times over the years with hard bricks usually my end result. I did substitute cold grated butter for the shortening as others suggested. I wished I hadn't added the salt as my butter was salted. I picked up the wrong flour and got self-rising instead of all purpose so I don't know what difference it makes. I do know the biscuits came out very soft and buttery. It would be difficult to slice in half and put a sausage patty in there. I will try the all purpose next time to see what difference it makes. The biscuits tastes very good and have a homemade flavor to them. I didn't roll mine out but scooped up a ball and gently patted it out. Definately will be trying this some more.

Taste a lot like Bisquick and they are just as easy to make!

These are the flakiest biscuits I have ever made. I used a stick of cold butter and shredded it in like Julie W suggested and it is delicious! To make these brown better on top, I run my fingers under the tap and lightly pat a little water on them right before I put them in the oven. I also make these in double batches to freeze. Take out what you need and bake right away, increase baking time or thaw on the counter or over night in the fridge. I "square" cut these out with a pastry blade and the recipe makes 12- 2"x2"x1/2" biscuits.

i have used this many times...easy to adjust to your wants -add egg(reduce milk), add dill, add cheese, add bacon bits... has not failed me

This recipe is the closest to my Mom's baking powder biscuits I have ever tried to make. I have never been able to get the dough to rise enough or be flaky enough like my Mom's until this recipe. The only change or addition I would like to add is that the biscuits should be placed so close together before baking that the dough is " kissing" the next biscuit. This helps to keep moistness in. Also, if you need to warm them up and want them to be like they had just come out of the oven: place the biscuits loosely in a paperbag, fold the top down and roll it up tightly. Run the water faucet briefly over the bag of biscuits . The outside should look wet, but not saturated. Heat bag of biscuits in the oven on 300 f for about 20 minutes but check the biscuit's warmth every 10-5 minutes.

This is pretty much the same recipe I've used for 30 years except I simplified it by using self-rising flour instead of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Key to success is how "moist" the dough is after you add the liquid to the flour/shortening. You learn over time not too dry and not too wet, but a little too wet is better. Dry dough requires too much handling & makes tough biscuits. Gently "folding" the liquid & dry together till combined works well for me. Sometimes the dough is so moist I use a floured egg turner to gently scoop it over during kneading it. Also, liked grated cold butter as suggested instead of less healthy shortening. Even tried "I can't believe it's not butter". Turned out great!

I love this recipe!! It is very simple and fast and turns out great! Crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I wanted to make them a little healthier, so I did 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat flour. It turned out great. I Think sifting the flour helped a lot. I sifted it a little bit more than one time too, because I've heard that sifting wheat flour helps it come out fluffier. Thanks for a great recipe we will use time and time again!

Pretty awesome! I followed some suggestions from others and my biscuits came out oh so yummy. Instead of shortening, I used real butter. I also added some more baking powder. My dad's side of the family is from the south. I was taught how to make biscuits, but I couldn't remember the recipe, so this was very helpful. They don't actually 'measure' but eye things. Instead of milk, use butter milk. Also, don't roll the dough out at all. You form each biscuit using your own hands. Granny used her hands while mixing in the butter. I remember sitting at the table and watching her do that. Form rough balls and gently flatten out the top. Put some oil (canola, veggie) in a spoon and pour a little over the top of each. I remember aunt Brenda using the bottom of the spoon to spread the oil over the top. The cooking time and temp. were perfect! What a great recipe. Thanks! It was so very helpful, as well as comments from others.

I had a huge craving for biscuits this morning, and I don't make them myself, so I tried this recipe. They tasted like bisquick biscuits..... UPDATE: I now know how to make true homemade bisctuits, and this is pretty close... so to anyone out there trying this you should definetly use buttermilk instead of regular, just use self-rising flour, and use half shortening and half butter.

I LOVE this recipe. It's very basic so I tweaked it just a little bit. I use real butter because nothing is better than that which I shredded in a food processor. I add maybe 1/4 cup of sugar just for a small taste of sweetness, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. It's rises so lovely...my husband and kids devour them before they've completely cooled.

Very easy to follow. As others mentioned do not overwork the dough so that the biscuits will rise. I highly recommend.

This has been my go-to biscuit recipe since it was posted on bread.allrecipes.com! Easy, fast, fool-proof. There is none better.

I loved the flavor but, for some reason it didn't raise :( I did 100% according to recipe but it looks like a cookie... Does anyone have an idea or could possibly help me?

This is a wonderful recipe. I've tried several biscuit recipe's but they always turned out dry. This is moist and yummy. I did'nt add as much shortening but substituted a little butter. Like 3/4C shortening and 1/4C butter. They turned out great! I will def make again.

My boyfriend was craving biscuits so I whipped these together. They definitely did the trick. The dough seemed dry and crumbly but they puffed up nicely.

These were soooooo good!!! buttery,light an sooooo easy to make i will be defiently be making these again thank you so much for sharing

This is a good basic biscuit recipe, and my husband loves it. I use canola oil, and it turns out well enough for me. Sometimes I use 1/2 whole wheat flour as well. If I want them a bit fluffier, I add more milk and less oil. Good basic recipe.

Wow this came out not so good! Rather bad. Didn't rise at all. Followed directions to a T.

This recipe has given me nothing but trouble. First: If you make these, I would recommend rolling the biscuits out MUCH thicker than the recipe recommends. I rolled mine out to a half inch thick, and I just removed the first batch from the oven and they're still... a half inch thick. My baking powder is brand-new so I'm not sure what the trouble was. Second, they're completely flavorles, even though I added salt and sugar and brushed the tops with melted butter. Third, they're extremely dry and the texture was odd.. very crumbly in the mouth. I was making these for a church function, and now I'm headed out to buy frozen biscuits. Very sad. Sigh.

I just put the biscuits on the cooling rack, just after I carefully ate one and MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, that's a good biscuit! Easy as pie too! These were the first biscuits I've ever made, but surely won't be my last. I didn't change a thing but did melt some butter over the tasty jewels shortly after removing them from the oven. Bring on the sausage gravy!

I love this recipe. It is so easy to make and my family loved it. I didn't have any shortening or butter so I used margerine (Parkey brand) instead and it came out perfect. I did use one of the reviews that said not to twist the cutter. They fluffed up perfectly and are light and airy.These was the simplist recipe ever. I am so glad that I tried it. I recommend this recipe to all.

Pretty good. I used butter instead of shortening.

Very disappointed. My husband is a biscuit lover and I thought this would be something easy for him to make. Simple ingredients and sounded "foul proof". I had him follow the recipe to a "T". I even had the sifter and pastry cutter for him to use. We were careful not to over handle. The biscuits did not rise and did not brown on top. My husband didn't enjoy the taste "very floury...something missing" I did try a bite and they we gummy and "very floury".

Really delicious. I have made these several times and they come out slightly crispy on the outside, but are fluffy and dense on the inside. I also substituted some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and they came out great.

i made these for the first time today, they were amazing :-) so light and fluffy with a lovely taste. My daughter had them with homemade sausage gravy. my son liked them with maple syrup and my other son just ate them plain couldn't get enough of them.. thanks for a great recipe

Use cold butter, don't overmix after adding the milk. Stir until it just comes together, do not kneed the dough! Just turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out even then cut with a biscuit cutter. Perfect biscuits.

These are the very best!!!! Instead of shortening I used extra butter. I also mixed the milk with half sour cream. My family (husband and five kids) all said this was the best biscuits they've ever had, and I've tried alot of recipes on this site. Thank you Natalie!!!

I won't give this 5 stars because I did make a couple changes. First I used buttermilk. Second, because I was actually making garlic knots I added a little garlic. Then used the dough instead of store bought biscuit dough for garlic knots. With minimal kneading this dough bakes up as light as a feather and very subtly in flavor. Tomorrow morning I will be making biscuits and gravy with this recipe, still using buttermilk instead of butter and butter instead of shortening. I can't wait to taste them.

It's almost right, but not quite. I don't want to be the one the rate this as great according to my own changes, so I give it 2 stars for the "almost". my changes: butter NOT shortening, 2 Tbs of sugar (or splenda), 1 Tsp of salt (it's a must for flavor) and you have to learn the amount of kneading required. Too little and it's too crumbly, Too much and it's dense. I also form them freehand instead of messing with a cutter.

these where easy and really tasty i made them to top my chicken pot pie so good thanks for the recipe

These are incredibly flakey and delicious. I fallowed another users advice, and used cold grated butter. They turned out perfectly. Delicious !!

Easy and delicious! I used buttermilk.

This is exaxtly what I was looking for. I used to have a recipe like this but the page feel out of the cookbook and none of the others were what I was after,

Pretty good. Made these to go with supper last night and then had left overs with homemade sausage gravy this morning.

Perfect.

I used half butter/half Crisco and soured my milk using vinegar before using. My biscuits turned out perfect!

What I like best about these biscuits is that they are just as good the next day as they were the first. They reheat really well. Very good, easy recipe.

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! I tried with buttermilk (1cup milk+1tbls white vinegar) and accidentally tossed in the whole cup instead of 3/4 and still good! My second time making from scratch and must say less is more when it comes to handling. Lumpy n all start pressing softly soon as all is moistened. Def going into my recipe box =-)

Very easy to make. Cooked mine about 8min instead of 10. VERY GOOD!!

subing buttermilk instead of regular milk adds a great taste to a great recipe

this is my recipe except I use 2 tbsp of baking powder.Everyone loves them and asks for the recipe.

This recipe was terrific! I doubled the recipe so I could freeze some for another day, Im so glad I did! I used butter instead of shortening, but otherwise followed the directions exactly. Next time I will use the shortening and upade my review, but im sure it will be just as tasty and flakey as these were. Thanks so much for sharing!

Awesome! Plan to make them for thanksgiving. Turned out good and I can't cook that well : )

Good basic recipe. I change out the milk for buttermilk and add 1-2 TBS sugar. Also change out the shortening for either lard or butter.

What a simple yet delicious recipe for a basic biscuit! Halved the recipe and added some freshly grated cheese for flavor. Served with soft salted butter to make them extra rich and tasty. Will make again!

Very good basic recipe. The dough was extremely easy to work with and did not stick when rolled out and cut. Will definately use this again.

It had the classic taste of biscuits... i really like the taste. Instead of baking powder, i added a lesser amount of baking soda instead with honey (to make the baking soda activate). It did not grow alot, though. Delicious, VERY easy and well worth it.

Too dry. No rise. Crust as hard a bricks.

We love this recipe! We have used this with every meal and every dessert possible and it works fabulous every time!

These biscuits were not tasty, the taste of baking powder was overwhelming. Although they were flakey the taste just ruined them.

I am the first to admit if it can be burned, I will probably burn it. For years, the thought of making homemade biscuits scared me; too much could go wrong, the butter or shortening won't be cold enough, I might work the dough too long, etc. I finally decided to give this very basic recipe a try and it turned out wonderfully! I used a stick of margarine instead of a half cup of shortening. Just to be on the safe side, I placed the butter, flour mixture and cup of (almond) milk in the freezer for about 30 minutes beforehand but this was just me trying too hard not to fail, perhaps. My Ninja dough mixer attachment blended the margarine into the flour mixture perfectly and very fast. The dough was easy to roll out (make sure to have a floured surface with extra flour on hand for when the dough begins to stick). I just grabbed a 12 oz. plastic tumbler cup, dipped the rim into flour and used it to cut out biscuits, being careful not to twist the cup as I read this can have an effect on how the biscuits rise. The size of my biscuits were of a very decent size, about what you would get at a fast food restaurant with egg and the such on them. I made 8 biscuits from my batch of dough, they baked for 10 minutes and turned out perfectly. I was so happy with my accomplishment that I began texting out pics of my amazing ( not burnt!) creation. My only complaint about these biscuits is that they do not have a strong flavor. I am used to the buttermilk flavor of restaurant or store bought b

great basic biscuit recipe. don't knead TOO much as they will be "tough".

made this twice, both times came out like white hockey pucks. I followed directions but used cold butter not shortening. Both times very dry and dense. My only thought is I am over working the dough. GIVE ME YEAST!

my friends can't get enough of these. they are easy, extremely tasty, and will please any crowd-even non-buiscut people!

I am giving this a 3 instead of a 1 because I did make a change. The only change I made was to use butter instead of shortening, as I don't keep shortening on hand. These did not bake up light & fluffy. They seemed too dense. I would not make these again, even with shortening.

Very good basic recipe. Mine were light and fluffy!! I jazzed them up by brushing on melted butter with garlic and cheese.

not a fan. they came out heavy and dry

This was a good, very basic, recipe for biscuits. I found, however, that I had to add quite a bit more flour to the dough. I also chose to make the dough and shape the biscuits the night before, then place them in the refrigerator overnight for baking first thing in the morning. This tasted great with some white cream gravy for breakfast!

These biscuits were foul! There is way too much baking soda flavor in them. They look beautiful but taste horrrible.

These are fantastic!! Every time I follow a recipe, it never turns out as good as I expect. THESE DID!!! I followed the recipe exactly...they were awesome!!

Nothing fancy but works well. Next time I plan on making a double batch and freezing some for later.

They did not rise at all, not sure where I went wrong, followed the recipe exactly. I wouldn't try this recipe again.

Nothing wrong here.

This is the first time I have ever made homemade biscuits and this was a hit in our house this morning! I did make the first batch with shortening the second batch I made with self rising flour and cold butter. Both were great but ill be using the butter and self rising from now on.

Amazing biscuits! I made them exactly as in the recipe, except used half lard - half butter. Wow! They taste really similar to KFC or bisquick. That's a good thing! I can only imagine how amazing they will be with cheddar and some Italian seasoning. Thanks for the recipe.

These were pretty good. There just seemed to be something missing. They rose nice can high. Oddly enough we liked them better once cold. I would definitely make them again.

The biscuits didn't rise at all but t they tasted blan. I wouldn t recommended this recipe at all

I tried the biscuits for the first time they were delicious, but they didn't rise. I used everything required and did everything properly so I don't know what happened.

My daughter asked me to give her this recipe when she's "older." :-) These were pretty easy to make, with good results. I added a few minutes to the baking time, but maybe it's because my biscuits were a bigger. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Zeeeebest!! I suggest you use Julie's ? suggestions, it makes all the difference.

My first time making biscuits and these were easy to make and a hit at breakfast!

Delicious! Can use whole wheat flour too.

Nothing special here. Made just as directed - yes I did use cold shortening - but still found they didn't rise well. They were ok warm, but as soon as they started to cool they hardened up quite a bit.

I hate to be the girl to review a recipe when I've changed a thing or two, but I have to. Instead of using shorting I grated a stick of cold butter in. This was my first time making biscuits from scratch. So yummy!!! I used one of my kids sippy cups as a biscuit cutter. It worked great and made good biscuits about the size as the ones from a can I used to buy from the dough boy. Super easy, yummy, quick, and I had all ingredients on hand. I'll never buy canned dough again!

Was in the mood for biscuits this morning but couldn't find my baking soda so I used this recipe. I think they should have turned out better but they didn't rise. They were still nice and flaky because I know how to make biscuits so I'm stumped on what went wrong....

This is something I will make over and over!!!

Used margarine instead of shortening (bc we had none) and they turned out DELICIOUS. We only got about 5 biscuits out of the original recipe, but we may have just cut them large. Def using this again.

I've made breads in my bread machine then proofed on stove then bake but never made bread or biscuit dough from scratch. This recipe was so easy to follow. I wound recommend this recipe to any beginner baker. I go to this recipe site for everything. I've tried alot of recipe from here. I find them all very easy to follow, they turn out every time & they taste great.

Awesome recipe! I do use butter instead of shortening but I have my husband asking for them every morning

Good! Came out great. I used butter as my shortening on the first try. Will try vegetable shortening next time to see the difference. Thanks!

Wish I had read all reviews first. I committed the sin of twisting my cutter. This may be why they didn’t rise. However, I just hand formed the scraps making thicker and they were not so flat. They did taste good with lots of butter on top

Easy to make, light and fluffy. I followed the ingredients and instructions as outlined. As suggested by other reviews, I grated very cold butter and did not twist the biscuit cutter. Results were fantastic!

This is my go-biscut recipe. I LOVE IT!

these biscuits are so good and they're easy to make!