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Biscuits make just about any meal better. That’s why so many people choose to make their own from scratch.
When you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s going to be easy to make a mistake or two along the way. You might wind up baking some with bottoms that are quite hard.
Why are the biscuit bottoms so hard, and is there some mistake that caused them to turn out this way?
Read on to find out why this happens and what to do about it.
1 – You Baked Them Too Long
The most common reason why biscuits turn out hard on the bottom is that people bake them too long. You might have simply lost track of time and kept them in the oven longer than you were supposed to.
Take a look at the recipe that you’re using to see how long the biscuits are supposed to bake. Then ensure that you set a timer so that you can take them out of the oven on time.
During the baking process, it’s going to be wise to avoid getting too distracted. Some people make the mistake of talking on the phone or doing household chores away from the kitchen.
If you’re vacuuming, you might not hear the timer go off. The same thing can happen when you’re having a phone conversation in the other room.
Try to be somewhat mindful of the time that the biscuits have left. Be ready with your oven mitt to take them out and see if they baked as intended.
2 – Improper Oven Temperatures
Oven temperatures need to be just right for the biscuits to turn out perfectly. If you have the temperature wrong, you could easily burn them.
Even if the biscuits don’t completely burn, it might make the bottoms hard if you bake them at too high of a temperature. Avoid using temperatures that are higher than recommended by the recipe.
There are some other potential reasons why your oven would be too hot to consider, though. Some ovens have hot spots, and this means that certain parts might get hotter than others.
You can check for oven hot spots by toasting bread on the oven racks and seeing the spots where the bread gets burnt. If your oven has hot spots, you might need to be careful to just bake things in the center.
It’s also highly recommended to line the baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. This should help to keep the bottoms from getting too hard.
3 – Placing the Tray Too Close to the Bottom of the Oven
Of course, you might just be baking the biscuits too low in the oven. If you put them on the bottom rack, the bottoms might harden due to being too close to the heating element.
It might be easier to get good results if you bake biscuits on the top or middle racks instead. Try to be mindful of where you’re putting them so that you can avoid issues like this.
Some ovens might not have problems with putting trays on the bottom rack. This means that this may or may not be a problem that you’ll need to worry about.
Thankfully, it’s easy to just put the biscuits on the middle or top rack to be safe. It’s worth changing up the way that you’re doing things since it could make all the difference.
4 – Try Turning the Tray
Turning the tray might be a solution to your hard biscuit problem. Often, the biscuits will get too hard in certain spots, and this could be because of heat issues with your oven.
As mentioned earlier, sometimes ovens will have hot spots that will cause certain parts to be hotter than they should. You might be able to get this problem fixed, but you could also try working around it.
Try turning the biscuit tray halfway through the baking process. This might help the biscuits to bake evenly instead of having issues with some parts being too hard.
If you do this while also placing the biscuits on the middle rack, issues with hardened biscuit bottoms should become an uncommon occurrence. It’s good to know that you can fix this problem without having to go to too much trouble in most instances.
Final Thoughts
Making biscuits is something that you’re probably going to be doing a lot. When you love the homemade variety, it makes sense that you’d want to make them to go with specific meals.
If your biscuits have been turning out too hard on the bottom, this can be a bit disappointing. You don’t have to give up on making them because a few things went wrong, though.
It’s possible to make them turn out better if you pay attention to the common causes of hardness. Ensure that you’re baking the biscuits at the right temperature while also baking them for the right amount of time.
Sometimes this problem is as simple as making mistakes with the temperature setting. You might also be trying to bake them for longer than you should.
Oven hot spots can make biscuits turn out too hard or get burned. You should try putting them in the middle rack to avoid having issues like this.
Sometimes turning the tray about half way through the baking process will help you to combat hardness and burning issues as well. You could try lining the baking tray or sheet with parchment paper to protect the bottoms, too.
Hopefully, you’ll feel more confident now. Enjoy your delicious biscuits that are made to perfection!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.
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The first time I ever had these brown sugar buttermilk biscuits was at my Aunt Sara Mae’s house. But I found out later on that the recipe wasn’t hers: It was one that my great-grandmother Elizabeth Howard passed down to Nana Browne and then to her children. So while biscuits may seem like a simple thing, they speak directly to my heritage. And when I prepare them, I imagine all the hands that made them before me.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Homage’ by Chris Scott. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Ingredients
Makes about 36 biscuits
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (240 g) cake flour
6 Tbsp. (75 g) baking powder
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 cup (340 g) honey
1 cup (226 g) cold butter, shredded on the coarse side of a box grater or chopped
1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk
¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
How would you rate Brown Sugar Buttermilk Biscuits?
Reviews (3)
Back to TopTriangle
- Total fail. The type of pan isn’t listed and baked on a cookie sheet, these spread all over, coming out flat. Only took 20 minutes on the baking sheet. Trying again in a 9×13 pan and it’s not looking good. The one I tasted in the first batch had a fluffy cornbread-like texture and was too sweet. This recipe needs to be re-tested and fixed.
- Have got to the try no lt
- Not a review yet but can u make ahead or any part ahead?
- Didn’t care for the biscuit texture personally, more dense than fluffy. Brown sugar glaze was good though!
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These Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are a childhood favorite. Serve them with butter and syrup or filled with ham or sausage.
These Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are one of my favorite memories from childhood. Served with butter and syrup for breakfast or filled with a slice of ham or sausage, they’re moist, substantial, and totally delicious! Now, if you’re thinking of the kind of homemade buttermilk biscuits that rise high and turn out flaky, then this is not that recipe. These biscuits are made with oil, not butter and the result is incredible!
This recipe was a long time coming. A really long time. As in years.
I know that I’ve admitted before that there are two things that are my biggest failings in the kitchen. One is pie crust. Can’t make one to save my life. It was a really big day for me when they came out with those nice ones in the dairy section at the grocery store.
But pie crust isn’t such a big deal, really. Lots of people have trouble with pastry dough. I could get over that one.
The other one, however, was my biggest shame. Biscuits.
😲 What Southern Cook Can’t Make Biscuits!?
Who ever heard of a Southern cook who couldn’t make a biscuit? It was just unbelievable. They’re one of the most basic elements of southern comfort food.
And it’s not like I haven’t tried. Over the years I’ve wasted enough flour trying to make a decent biscuit that you could have baked a dozen of William and Catherine’s royal wedding cakes with it. Honestly.
They were a complete disaster every time. The tops cracked. They burned on the bottom. They were dry and they fell apart. And it frustrated me to no end.
🔍 Searching for the Perfect Recipe
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was trying to make the wrong kind of biscuit. What I was longing for was the old fashioned buttermilk biscuits I grew up with. And they were nothing like the tall, flaky, light ones that everyone raves about. Not at all.
The biscuits that I grew up eating and which were produced by nearly every cook in my little corner of south Georgia were not light. They weren’t flaky and they surely weren’t tall.
Those biscuits were moist! They had an almost chewy texture and they never, ever fell apart. You could slice them open, put a piece of ham or sausage in them and close them back up like a sandwich. Those biscuits had substance!
💡 The Right Fat Makes All the Difference
After all these years I’ve finally realized what made those childhood biscuits different. The difference was oil. Believe it or not – oil.
My childhood biscuits were not made with solid shortening at all. Our south Georgia cooks made up their dough using soft winter wheat flour, buttermilk, and vegetable oil.
There was no cutting in of shortening involved at all. They just dumped the ingredients into a bowl, mixed it up a little, formed the biscuits, and popped them in the oven.
And guess what else – I have now made pans full of perfect south Georgia biscuits! I cannot explain to you how relieved I am. Whew. I thought for a while there that I was gonna have to give up my Southern cook credentials.
❤ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These biscuits are so moist and substantial you can use them as you would bread.
- Kids love them with jam, jelly, or syrup.
- They’re just good!
🥘 The Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
- Self-Rising Flour (if you have White Lily brand in your area, be sure to use it; if not, any brand will work)
- Buttermilk (gives the dough a rich, tangy taste)
- Vegetable Oil (use any neutral-flavored oil such as canola)
- Salt (optional but I like to add a bit to boost the savory flavor)
- Butter (for finishing the tops after baking)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
If you’d like to try my version of old fashioned buttermilk biscuits, one of the things I’d recommend is to try finding some White Lily flour. It’s a Southern flour made from soft red winter wheat and it makes a tremendous difference in your baked products. If it’s not available where you live, any self-rising flour will work. Your biscuits just won’t be quite as tender 🙂
Sift the Flour and Add the Wet Ingredients
STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet or cast iron skillet generously with cooking spray and set aside.
STEP 2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl (or not – most flours don’t really need sifting these days).
Mix the Dough
STEP 4. Mix the ingredients together just until all the flour is moistened. Try to avoid over mixing. You’ll have a fairly rough, shaggy dough. That’s okay – it’s supposed to look like that.
STEP 5. Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and gently knead it just 4 or 5 turns. That’s all you want to do – just enough to bring the dough together.
Form the Biscuits
STEP 6. Now, for these biscuits instead of using a biscuit cutter, you’re going to roll them with your hands like you would a dinner roll. Just pinch off a portion a little larger than a golf ball and roll in between your palms a few times. Be gentle. Then flatten it into a disk.
STEP 7. Place the biscuits on either a greased baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet with the sides touching. That will help them rise a little more.
Bake in a Hot Oven
STEPS 8 and 9.
STEP 8. Place the baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Check a couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time and if the tops are not quite brown enough, turn on the broiler briefly to finish browning.
STEP 9. While the biscuits are cooking, melt a little butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush immediately with melted butter.
Add Butter and Syrup for a Treat
If you really want to experience a south Georgia treat, split one of these biscuits open while it’s still good and warm. Add a pat or two of butter and drizzle it with a little honey or cane syrup. Oh, yeah.
And there you go – the biscuits I remember from childhood. I was afraid I’d never figure out how to make them. I feel all grown up and everything 🙂
❓ Questions About Buttermilk Biscuits
How do I store leftover biscuits?
Wrap any leftover biscuits and store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes, you can! The best way to make biscuits in advance is to make and roll out the dough and place individual unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Freeze for a couple of hours and then transfer to a freezer bag or container until you’re ready to bake. Place still frozen biscuits on a baking pan and bake at 425 degrees adding an additional 5 minutes to the baking time.
What if I don’t have self-rising flour?
Not to worry! Just make your own by mixing 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
What’s the best way to reheat biscuits?
You can reheat biscuits in the microwave, but I think they’re much better when rewarmed in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the biscuits on a baking pan or in a cast iron skillet leaving a little space between each. Heat in the oven for about 5 minutes. Serve piping hot.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
I’d LOVE to know what you thought!Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a baking sheet or cast iron skillet generously with cooking spray and set aside.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix all ingredients together just until all the flour is moistened. Do not overmix.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times – no more.
- Pinch off portions of dough a little larger than a golf ball.
- Roll the dough into a ball, then press to flatten into a disk.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet or skillet with the edges touching.
- Place the baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes. If tops are not quite brown near the end of the cooking time, turn on the broiler briefly to finish browning.
- While the biscuits are cooking, melt the butter over low heat.
- Remove biscuits from the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Wrap any leftover biscuits and store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven.
- To make ahead: make and roll out the dough and place individual unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Freeze for a couple of hours and then transfer to a freezer bag or container until you’re ready to bake. Place still frozen biscuits on a baking pan and bake at 425 degrees adding an additional 5 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Equally delicious slathered with jam and honey for breakfast, filled with meat and cheese for lunch, or brushed with garlic butter for dinner, these biscuits will be your go-to for every meal.
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup cold whole buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and butter is the size of peas. Using a fork, stir in cold buttermilk until a shaggy dough forms.
- Place biscuits 1 inch apart on a cast-iron baking pan or smooth side of a cast-iron griddle.
- Bake until top is golden brown 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.
KITCHEN TIP: If you prefer softer sides to your biscuits, place biscuit cutouts on pan with sides touching, or bake biscuits in a 12-inch skillet. Baking time may be longer if using a skillet.
FOR BISCUITS STEP-BY-STEP
2. A Southern biscuit baker’s liquid of choice is buttermilk. Its acidity reacts with the leavener to produce a tall rise in the oven and create a tender biscuit.
When I bake biscuits, I always make a big batch. They’re just enough of a project (if you’re making them right, like in this Cheryl Day recipe) that it’s rarely worth it to just make a few at a time. And while I generally have a plan for how to use my leftover biscuits, a piece of advice from Day opened my eyes to a world of starchy, buttery possibilities. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.
Day and I were talking biscuits, as we often do, and she told me that one of her favorite things to do was to cube them and turn them into croutons. Crunchy chunks of biscuit scattered over a salad or a bowl of soup? Yes. Genius.
But then she mentioned her other favorite use for those biscuit croutons: the Southern Snack Mix from her cookbook, Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking. The base is essentially a classic Chex mix, right down to the cereal and pretzels, but a few clever twists give it an unmistakable Southern character.
Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking
Day’s first twist is using day-old biscuits, cubed and toasted in the oven until brown and crunchy. As they bake you’ll be tempted to reach into the oven and eat them by the handful (I know I was), but then you’ll be pulling the star away from her big debut. Day’s party mix also includes pecans, a staple at her Savannah bakery, and she lightly sweetens the mix with honey. Oh, and there are, of course, oodles of melted butter.
Day boosts the flavor of the honey-butter combination with Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and, for those wanting a kick of heat in every handful, an optional teaspoon of cayenne powder. It all becomes a glaze that’s tangy, savory, rich, and spicy, complementing every toasty, bready, and nutty element in the mix. After a low and slow bake in the oven, you’ll be treated to a snack mix that’s an exquisite melange of textures, each bite packed with crisp cereal, malty, crunchy pretzels, crumbly, buttery biscuits, and toasted pecans and sesame seeds.
Make a double batch for your game day spread so you can scatter smaller bowls of it on every snack table among the wings, drinks, and other appetizers. That way, no guest is ever too far from a handful. No matter who you’re cheering for, the real winner will always be you for making this snack mix.
Our Southern roots may be showing with this one, but is there really anything better than a biscuit? Deliciously flaky, buttery biscuits full of fluffy height—it’s hard to imagine anything more comforting. Whether leavened with yeast, like our Yeasted Angel Biscuits that bake to new heights with Quick-Rise™ Instant Yeast from Red Star®, or laminated with butter to create tender layers, like our beautiful Buttermilk Biscuits, there’s no denying the irresistible pull of a freshly baked biscuit. With this month’s module, you’ll learn the ABCs of biscuit-baking (angel, buttermilk, and Cheddar!), from cutting in butter to mixing and shaping your dough and everything in between. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson, or keep scrolling to view our digital lesson.
Join us Monday, November 7, 2022, at 5 p.m. PT for our Baking School In-Depth class! Brian Hart Hoffman will be sharing some of his favorite Thanksgiving breads, including these Yeasted Angel Biscuits, as well as a delicious Pear Fritter Loaf. Register here!
Ingredient Breakdown
Great recipes require great ingredients. Here’s how each of our recipe’s simple ingredients contributes to making the very best Yeasted Angel and Buttermilk Biscuits.
Instant yeast: Angel biscuits are often best described as a cross between a dinner roll and a biscuit. To achieve an incredibly light and fluffy texture, we use Quick-Rise™ Instant Yeast from Red Star® which provides a faster leavening rate, reducing rising times in traditional baking by as much as half compared to a regular active dry yeast. Yeast needs food (sugar and carbohydrates), warmth (liquid temperature and room temperature), and moisture for proper fermentation. Yeast is killed at 139°F (59°C), so keep your thermometer on hand when heating your buttermilk.
Unbleached cake flour: Cake flour, unlike all-purpose, is lower in protein and creates softer, more delicate bakes. So, when used in combination with all-purpose flour, you get a biscuit with a light and airy interior but still a satisfying bite. Many biscuit recipes will call for a self-rising flour, which is made up of a softer, lower protein version of all-purpose flour premixed with baking powder and salt. To have better control over our biscuits’ leavening and protein content, we use unbleached cake flour instead, used in combination with a harder flour and leavening agents to create our ultimate Buttermilk Biscuits.
Both
Unsalted butter: Our biscuits are all about butter. We use unsalted European-style butter in all our biscuit recipes because of its high fat content. With a pastry blender, forks, or a food processor, the butter is cut into the dough until it’s pea-size or smaller. In the Yeasted Angel Biscuits, the butter is frozen to prevent melting, and the miniature chunks of butter create small pockets of steam when the biscuits hit the oven and the butter melts. With the Buttermilk Biscuits, the butter is again frozen then broken up into pieces pea-size and smaller, but the dough is then stacked and rolled out to create lift and layers. Instead of having small pieces or chunks of butter that create air bubble-like holes, rolling and pressing the dough (similar to how you laminate puff pastry) creates thin sheets of fat between the dry ingredients. As they melt away and steam, the leavening happens, and flaky layers are formed. These small pockets of butter are essential in both recipes, so it’s important not to overmix; otherwise, the butter will melt into the dough, losing its structure and creating tough rather than fluffy biscuits.
Whole buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk combined with the fat content courtesy of its whole milk base works as the ultimate tenderizing ingredient. Buttermilk brings signature tang, and the acidity also plays a key role in softening the gluten found in the flour, creating a beautifully fluffy biscuit. Not to mention, it’s the wet ingredient that brings the biscuit dough together. In our Yeasted Angel Biscuits, the buttermilk also serves the essential role of activating the yeast. If you have difficulty locating whole buttermilk, you can make a quick substitution. Simply add 1 tablespoon (15 grams) distilled white vinegar or fresh lemon juice for every 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow mixture to thicken.
All-purpose flour: For a delicate crumb, a special flour that balances between soft and hard is needed. All-purpose wheat flour has a protein content of 10% to 12%, so our biscuits are tender but have enough gluten structure to hold together. The biggest mistake you can make with biscuit dough is overmixing, because the more the gluten is activated, the tougher, gummier, and chewier your biscuits will be.
Granulated sugar: Sugar, also referred to as glucose, acts as food for the yeast in our Yeasted Angel Biscuits, which converts it to carbon dioxide and alcohol in the fermentation process. This ultimately helps tenderize the dough, creating soft, fluffy biscuits. In both biscuits, the sugar also adds a tinge of sweetness to balance the salt, contributes to the biscuits’ golden color, improves their crumb texture, and helps to retain moisture both while the biscuits bake and once stored.
Kosher salt: Kosher salt has a pure, clean flavor because it doesn’t contain iodine or minerals. When it comes to salt, one important thing to note is that salt granules come in different sizes and densities, so be sure to weigh your salt for the most accurate measure.
Baking powder: Comprised of baking soda, powdered acid or acids, and a starch, most baking powders are double-acting, meaning the reaction occurs twice, using two different acids. The first is a very quick reaction that occurs when baking powder is combined with a liquid, aerating the batter. The second reaction is slower-acting, occurring when heated.
Baking soda: Baking soda requires an acid be present in the batter (in this case, buttermilk) to help tenderize baked goods. Baking soda releases most of its gas immediately once combined with an acid and moisture, so doughs and batters leavened only or primarily with baking soda should be baked soon after it’s added. If too much is used, the final baked product may have a slightly soapy taste and a brownish-yellow cast. If too little is used, making the batter or dough too acidic, the final product may not brown adequately.
Salted butter: Brushing biscuits with melted salted butter before baking helps to create a more even, golden color while also creating a crisper texture on top. A final brush of butter after baking adds a final touch of richness and flavor.
Tools of the Trade
To make the best biscuits, we recommend this set of tools
Pastry blender or forks: Cutting in butter is an essential part of both of our biscuit recipes. We recommend using a pastry blender or two forks to assist in breaking up your butter into pea-size pieces. (Pictured is the Williams Sonoma Olivewood Pastry Blender.)
Bench scraper: Whether you’re looking for an easy way to lift and transfer your biscuits from counter to baking sheet, an extra nudge to bring your dough together, a tool that can trim and help shape your biscuits, or a way to clear your work surface, the bench scraper is your new best friend. (Pictured is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch® Pro Silicone and Nylon Bench Scraper.)
2½-inch round cutter: For our Yeasted Angel Biscuits, we use a round cutter to perfectly portion each one. (Pictured is a Williams Sonoma Biscuit Cutter.)
Sharp chef’s knife: When cutting your Buttermilk Biscuits, it’s important to use a sharp knife coated in flour. The sharpness of the knife, combined with the flour coating, will prevent the dough from being pulled, sealing the edges of the biscuit. Let those beautiful layers shine!
Pastry brush: Brushing the scones with butter before and after baking is really the metaphorical icing on the cake in this recipe. It’s important that the bristles of the brush are sturdy yet flexible, which is why we often opt for a pastry brush with bristles instead of silicone. (Pictured is the Williams Sonoma Olivewood Pastry Brush.)
Spatula, whisk, and glass bowls: For all your mixing needs, you really can’t beat the basics. Spatulas are perfect for simple stirring and folding, whisks are essential in mixing dry ingredients and breaking up clumps, and glass bowls give you a 360-degree visual while staying cool (glass doesn’t conduct heat well).
Yeasted Angel Biscuits
Supremely light and fluffy, these biscuits use three leavening agents—yeast, baking powder, and baking soda—to achieve their angelically airy texture. Best described as a mix between a flaky buttermilk biscuit and soft yeast roll, these Yeasted Angel Biscuits are as simple as they are delicious.
- 1 cup (227 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 cups (480 grams) warm whole buttermilk (110°F/43°C to 115°F/46°C)
- 1 (0.25-ounce) package (7 grams) instant yeast*
- 6 cups (750 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 5 teaspoons (15 grams) kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda
- Salted butter, melted
- In a medium bowl, whisk together warm buttermilk and yeast until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine 3 cups (375 grams) flour and sugar. Add yeast mixture, and stir until just combined. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 3 cups (375 grams) flour. Add cold butter, tossing to coat. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until pieces are smaller than peas and mixture is crumbly. Add to flour-yeast mixture. Using your hand, knead dough in bowl until dough just comes together.
- Brush top of biscuits with melted butter.
- Bake until golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
*We used Quick-Rise™ Instant Yeast from Red Star®
Note: Biscuits can be baked touching if you want a softer biscuit. If you like a biscuit with crispy edges, bake about 1½ inches apart. Biscuits that are touching will take longer to bake, and biscuits with space between them will bake faster.
A true classic, our Buttermilk Biscuits are rich, tender, and full of lovely layers. Warm and buttery in flavor, they’re excellent in both sweet and savory applications. A plate full of these is sure to go quick at your next breakfast or brunch get-together.
- ¾ cup (170 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1⅔ cups (208 grams) unbleached cake flour
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda
- 1⅓ cups (320 grams) cold whole buttermilk
- Salted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add cold butter, tossing to coat. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and largest butter pieces are pea-size. (See Notes.) Using a fork or your fingers, stir in cold buttermilk until a dough forms. (It is OK if there are some dry flour bits remaining.)
- Brush tops with melted butter.
- Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
Notes: A food processor can be used to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Place dry ingredients into the work bowl of the food processor, and pulse until combined. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly and the largest butter pieces are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl before adding buttermilk.
Biscuits can be baked touching if you want a softer biscuit. If you like a biscuit with crispy edges, bake about 2 inches apart. Biscuits that are touching will take longer to bake, and biscuits with space between them will bake faster.
Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
Using our base Buttermilk Biscuits recipe, we added garlic powder, green onion, white Cheddar cheese, and dill to create a savory flavor explosion. The melty cheese is sharp and salty, and the green onion and dill cut through with a fresh green bite. These cheesy biscuits will be a favorite any time of day.
Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
- ¾ cup (170 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1⅔ cups (208 grams) unbleached cake flour
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda
- 3 ounces (85 grams) sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)
- ½ cup (45 grams) finely chopped green onion
- 2 tablespoons (7 grams) lightly packed finely chopped fresh dill
- 1⅓ cups (320 grams) cold whole buttermilk
- Salted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and baking soda. Add cold butter, tossing to coat. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and largest butter pieces are pea-size. (See Notes.) Stir in cheese, green onion, and dill. Using a fork or your fingers, stir in cold buttermilk until a dough forms. (It is OK if there are some dry flour bits remaining.)
- Brush tops with melted butter.
- Bake until golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes. Brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
Notes: A food processor can be used to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Place dry ingredients into the work bowl of the food processor, and pulse until combined. Add cold butter, and pulse until mixture is crumbly and the largest butter pieces are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl before adding mix-ins and buttermilk.
These biscuits are all about incorporating air, from the yeast that produces air bubbles to the butter that creates little steamy pockets when baked. Overmixing is your enemy, so be sure to knead the ingredients just until they come together.
1. Freeze cold butter for about 10 minutes. European-style butters soften very quickly because of their high fat content. We freeze our butter to make it easier to cut in and keep its shape once all the ingredients are mixed together.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together warm buttermilk and yeast until yeast dissolves. When heating the buttermilk, it might separate slightly; that’s OK—just stir it, and it will emulsify again. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups (375 grams) flour and sugar. Add yeast mixture, and stir until just combined. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press or roll into a 1-inch-thick disk. Fold dough in half; press or roll into a 1-inch-thick disk. Using a 2½-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut dough without twisting cutter, and place about 1½ inches apart on prepared pan. (See Note.) Reroll scraps once by pushing scraps together, folding in half, and then pressing or rolling to 1-inch thickness. Discard remaining scraps. Cover and let risein a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed, about 15 minutes.
7. Brush top of biscuits with melted butter.
8. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. Brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
These biscuits are incredibly simple to make and require only a handful of ingredients. The true challenge is resisting overmixing and overworking the dough; otherwise, your laminated layers will disappear.
1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Freeze cold butter for about 10 minutes. European-style butters soften very quickly because of their high fat content. We freeze our butter to make it easier to cut in and keep its shape once all the ingredients are mixed together.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add cold butter, tossing to coat in flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and largest butter pieces are pea-size. (See Notes.) If making the Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits, this is where you’ll stir in the cheese, green onion, and dill. Using a fork or your fingers, stir in cold buttermilk until a dough forms. (It is OK if there are some dry flour bits remaining.)
4. Turn out dough onto a clean surface. Pat or roll dough into an 8-inch square (about ¾ inch thick). Using a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper coated in flour, cut dough in half. Stack halves on top of each other, and pat down into a square. Repeat procedure twice, making sure to press back into an 8-inch square. This process is called laminating, and it’s what gives these Buttermilk Biscuits flaky layers. Using a chef’s knife coated in flour, trim edges, if desired, to create a 7½-inch square, and cut dough into 2½-inch squares. Place 2 inches apart on prepared pan. (See Notes.) Freeze until cold, about 10 minutes.
5. Brush tops with melted butter.
6. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
The main ingredients in the biscuits making process are flours, sugars and fats. To these ingredients, various small ingredients may be added for leavening, flavour and texture.
1.1. Wheat flour
One of the principle ingredients for biscuits is wheat flour. The grain consists of bran (12%), which is the outer husk, endosperm, which is the white centre (85.5%) and the tiny germ (2.5%). Typical biscuit flour is milled to a yield or extraction of 70-75%. Wholemeal flour is of 100% extraction and wheat meal flours in between these extraction rates, normally around 84% extraction. The flour will also contain moisture of between 13 – 15%. How to get best flour for your biscuits?
The wheat flour is composed of carbohydrate (as starch), protein and fat, together with some fibre, ash and trace minerals and vitamins. The protein is mainly gluten, composed of gliadin and glutenin.
The percentage of protein determines the flour strength. A dough made from strong flour with a high protein content, is extensible and can be machined into a continuous sheet for crackers and hard biscuits. A weak flour with a low protein content produces a short dough which may be moulded or a soft, high fat dough which may be deposited on the baking band and when baked, gives tender cookie.
1.2. Wheat gluten
The formation of the gluten, its strength and elasticity are largely determined by the flour specification, recipe and the mixing and forming processes. Wheat flour contains proteins including gliadin and glutenin. In the presence of water these proteins combine to form gluten. As the dough is mixed the protein molecules form long strands of gluten, which have strength and elasticity. The gluten forms an elastic web, which gives the dough strength and allows it to be machined into a thin sheet for crackers and hard sweet biscuits. These biscuits are made with “strong” flour, which has a high protein content, typically 10-12%.
The gluten web is also important in trapping air and gas bubbles formed by yeast fermentation or by leavening agents such as sodium bicarbonate (“soda”) or ammonium carbonate (“vol”). This leavening process, combined with the laminating of the dough, gives the characteristic open, flaky texture of crackers during baking.
Soft or short biscuits are generally made with low protein flour (7-9%). A low protein flour makes a dough with a much weaker gluten web. In addition these doughs have higher fat contents. The fat coats the flour particles and this inhibits the hydration of the proteins and the formation of the gluten web. Shorter mixing times also result in less development of the gluten strands and hence the biscuits have a short texture.
1.3. Starch
Starch is the main component of wheat flour. It represents almost all of the carbohydrate content and around 80% of the total energy content of wheat flour. Starch is a polysaccharide (many sugars) made up of glucose units linked together to form long chains. The principle starch molecules in wheat flour are amylose, which typically comprises 28% of the total amount of starch. Amylose molecules contribute to gel formation. Their linear chains of molecules line up together and are able to bond to make a viscous gel.
Starch is insoluble in water, however the starch granules do absorb a limited amount of water in the dough and swell. Above temperatures of 60o-70o C the swelling is irreversible and gelatinisation begins.
The gelatinisation may continue until the starch granules are fully swollen, but it is normal in baked products that only partial gelatinisation occurs. The gelatinisation of the starch contributes to the rigidity and texture of the biscuit.
As the starch gel is heated further, dextrinisation occurs. This contributes to the colouring of the biscuit.
In soft dough products, the high sugar and fat content of the dough inhibits starch gelatinisation. The presence of sugars delays the gelatinisation of the starch, which may be due to the competition for water. The fat, composed of triglycerides and surfectants, also tends to inhibit gelatinisation. With high sugar and fat recipes, the dough has a low gel viscosity and strength and produces short and soft biscuits and cookies.
The protein in corn flour does not form gluten, and it can be used as an ingredient to produce a more tender biscuit with reduced gluten development.
2.1. Sucrose
Common sugar (sucrose) is a carbohydrate derived from sugar cane or sugar beet. It is a disaccharide composed of two monosaccharides, a molecule of glucose joined to a molecule of fructose. Sugar is used in biscuit formulations in a granulated or powder form.
Sugar gives sweetness, but functional properties of sugar are also important in developing the texture of the biscuit. Dissolved sugar tends to inhibit starch gelatinisation and gluten formation and creates a biscuit with a more tender texture. Undissolved sugar crystals give a crunchy, crisp texture. Sugar crystals, which melt during baking, cool to a non-crystalline glass-like state which gives a crispy, crunchy texture, particularly on sugar topped biscuits.
Dry sucrose melts at 160oC – 186oC. Biscuits with sugar toppings which are melted to a smooth, shiny surface require high intensity flash heat at the end of the oven to fully melt the sugar.
Invert sugar syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose. The sucrose is split into its component monosaccharides by hydrolysis. The sucrose in solution is heated with a small quantity of acid such as citric acid. After inversion the solution is neutralised by the addition of soda. The invert syrup is sweeter than sugar and it contributes to a moist, tender texture in the biscuit.
Other reducing sugars are included in biscuit formulations in syrup form, for example glucose syrup, malt extracts, honey. The reducing sugars in the presence of amino acids produce the Maillard reaction which contributes to the colour of the biscuit.
Moisture content: 0.06% maximum
Ash content: 0.03% maximum
Powdered sugar: 60μm
Crystal sugar: 150μm
Caster sugar: 150 – 450μm
Granulated sugar: 450 – 600μm
Brown sugar, a dry golden brown sugar with bold crystals.
Particle size: 0.8 – 1.2 mm
2.2. Glucose syrup
Glucose syrup (C6H12O6) is a solution (up to 80%) of glucose (dextrose), maltose and maltodextrins in water. It is normally obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. Starch from wheat, corn, potato, cassava or any other plant can be used for this purpose.
Standard glucose syrup has a DE value (dextrose equivalent) of 42. The relative sweetness of 42DE glucose to sucrose is 40-45%.
2.3. Cane syrup 80%
Syrups with 80% solids derived from the refining of cane sugar. Used for their excellent flavour.
2.4. Invert syrup 70%
Syrup of 70% solids made by acid hydrolysis of sucrose. The result is a 50:50 mixture of dextrose and fructose which are both reducing sugars and contribute to the Maillard reaction in baking.
2.5. Fructose syrup 80%
Commercially, fructose is usually derived from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn. Crystalline fructose is a monosaccharide, dried and ground, and of high purity. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a mixture of glucose and fructose. High fructose syrup is a special type of glucose, formulated with a high fructose content. It is much sweeter than glucose.
2.6. Malt extract 80%
A thick glutinous syrup of 80% solids usually non-diastatic and obtained by water extraction of malted wheat or barley. The heat treatment used to concentrate the solution destroys any enzymes. Used as one of the important flavour ingredients for biscuits.. Rich in maltose, which is a reducing sugar.
Dough fats and oils
3.1. Vegetable fats
Fats for biscuits are a vitally important ingredient in achieving the texture, mouth feel, and the bite of the biscuit. The fats are produced from good quality crude oils by a process of refining, bleaching and deodorising. They are produced primarily from vegetable oils, but may contain hydrogenated fish oils.
Typical blended vegetable dough fats are solid at ambient temperature and melt over a wide temperature range. Most fats used in biscuit making are melted below blood temperature (36.9oC), and this avoids a waxy mouth feel. Fats are specified with a Solid Fat Index (SFI), which indicates the percentage of solid fat present in the total fat. A vegetable shortening typically has an SFI of around 21% at 25oC and 17% at 30oC.
Graph showing melting profiles (Solid Fat Index vs temperature) of various oils and fats Oxford Instruments
Recipes with high fat contents require little water for producing a cohesive dough and produce soft, short doughs. During mixing, the fat coats the flour particles and this inhibits hydration and interrupts the formation of the gluten. Fats also tend to inhibit the leavening action of the carbon dioxide diffusion in the dough during baking and this produces a softer, finer texture. Where both fat and sugar amounts in the recipe are high, they combine to make a soft, syrupy, chewy texture.
Typically crackers and hard sweet biscuit doughs, which are sheeted and cut, have fat contents of 10% – 22% of the flour by weight. Rotary moulded doughs may have 17% – 30% of fat and wire-cut and deposited cookie doughs 25% – 60%.
3.2. Butter
Butter is used for its shortening and flavour. The flavour of the butter is complemented by sugar and vanilla during baking and gives a distinctive flavour and aroma.
3.3. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is typically used for oils spraying. The oil is hydrogenated, neutralised, deodorised and bleached. Melting point: 32 – 34oC
Other ingredients for biscuits
4.1. Whole egg powder
Whole egg powder is spray dried. Egg yolk is rich in fat and lecithin and it is these ingredients which enhance the flavour and eating quality of the cookie.
4.2. Lecithin
Lecithin is an emulsifier produced from soya beans and available in liquid or powder form. It may be added to the fat or directly into the dough mix.
4.4. Ammonium bicarbonate (“Vol”) (NH4)HCO3
A volatile salt, which is an effective leavening agent. When heated it liberates carbon dioxide, ammonia gas and water.
4.5. Sodium bicarbonate (“Soda”) NaHCO3
The most important aerating agent. When heated, it reacts with acidic materials in the dough to release carbon dioxide and water,
4.6. ACP – Acid calcium phosphate
Acid calcium phosphate is also known as monocalcium phosphate. It is used as a leavening agent in conjunction with sodium bicarbonate and ammonium carbonate.
4.7. SAPP – Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
Sodium acid pyrophosphate is commonly used in the baking industry as a leavening agent. It combines with sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide.
4.8. Salt (NaCl)
Sodium chloride, used as a flavour enhancer and also to control the rate and extent of fermentation.
4.9. SMS – Sodium metabisulphite Na2S2O5
A reducing agent for the modification of the strength of the gluten in doughs. It causes the gluten to become more extensible and less elastic and so reduces shrinkage of the dough pieces during baking.
4.10. Proteolytic enzyme
Proteinases break down and modify the gluten in doughs, giving a softer, less elastic dough.
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Leading image: By baibaz/shutterstock.com
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