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🍳 Breakfast & brunch

Basic biscuits

Flaky, buttery, year-round biscuits for breakfast or supper-supper

⏱️ Time estimate: about 30 minutes

A classic biscuit with cold butter, whole milk, and just enough sugar, plus a buttermilk variation if you want a tangier little bake.

Cookbook page for basic biscuits recipe

Ingredients

Makes: about 12 biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/3 cup cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
  • 3/4 cup cold whole milk

Instructions

  1. Get ready. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Have a sharp 2-inch biscuit cutter ready.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Cut in the butter. Add the butter and toss it with the flour. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks pebbly, with bits ranging from pea-size to oat-flake size.
  4. Bring the dough together. Pour the milk over the dry ingredients. Use a fork to toss and gently turn everything until you have a soft dough, then give it 3 or 4 quick gentle kneads in the bowl to bring it together.
  5. Pat and cut. Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. Dust the top lightly with flour and pat or roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out as many biscuits as you can, placing them close together as you cut so you get the most from the first round.
  6. Use the scraps. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather the scraps as gently as possible, pat them back out to 1/2 inch thick, and cut additional biscuits. You can freeze them at this stage on the baking sheet, then wrap airtight and keep for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes.
  7. Bake. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Transfer to a serving basket and serve warm.

Serving: Best from oven to table, ideally with cold sweet butter.

Storing: You can keep them in a plastic bag overnight and rewarm them the next day, though they will not be quite as freshly flaky.

Buttermilk variation: For tangier buttermilk biscuits, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the dry ingredients and replace the whole milk with buttermilk.