Biscuits are such versatile things. Have them with jelly for breakfast, or broken open and covered in sausage gravy. Eat them for lunch filled with a bit of leftover ham and smoked cheese. Or how about the very best idea: a big fluffy biscuit filled with honey-butter and sitting with a pile of fried chicken? If these ideas leave you hankering after some hot from the oven biscuits, look no further. I am going to share my easiest recipe for foolproof flaky layers. It’s as close as ten minutes away from the table and only takes 5 simple ingredients. Ready?

I suggest reading through the recipe and looking at the pictures, then watching my video tutorial (at the bottom of the page) because I think the very best way to learn how to make biscuits is to SEE the techniques and realize the proper textures in each step.

Let’s get to making some biscuits!

Fool-proof Flaky Biscuits

Preheat oven 450° F.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 5 Tbsp. lard or shortening
• ¾ cup whole milk

Put the first four items in a medium bowl and toss with your hand to combine the dry ingredients and coat the lard. Use a pastry cutter to “cut” in the lard, incorporating until there is a combination of large and small bits of fat mixed with the flour.

Pour in the milk and use a spoon to mix in the liquid, turning so that all the flour underneath is combined. Use your hand to gather the dough to the side and press into a lump.

Knead the dough 8-9 turns. (Kneading consists of folding the dough over on itself and pressing, then turning the dough a quarter turn and repeating. Do this 8-9 times.) Place the now smooth dough on a piece of waxed paper or a counter top. Roll out gently to between ½ and ¾ inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter—DO NO twist the cutter as you do this!—and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the remaining scraps into a “cat-head” lump equal in thickness to the other biscuits.

Place in a 450° oven and bake about 8 minutes for convection, 10-12 for a regular oven. Cooking time will vary due to biscuit thickness and the size of the cutter (mine is 2 ½ inches wide).

Break open your gorgeous biscuits and slather with butter and jelly. If you are interested in learning how to make jams and jellies to go with your newly-mastered biscuits, please look at my video Canning Jelly with Ms. Sam. And if you want to try one of my absolute favorite companions to these biscuits, please see my dear friend Ms. Beth’s post on making apple butter in the crockpot. It’s divine!

Happy munching, ya’ll! There are just so many ways to enjoy your beautiful flaky biscuits!

 

 

 

Fool-proof Flaky Biscuits    (download a printable version of the  Flaky Foolproof Biscuits recipe )

Preheat oven 450° F.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 5 Tbsp. lard or shortening
• ¾ cup whole milk

Put the first four items in a medium bowl, and toss with your hand to combine. Use a pasty cutter to “cut” in the lard until there are large and small bits of fat mixed with the flour. Pour in the milk and use a spoon to mix in the liquid until all of the flour is moistened. Use your hand to gather the dough to the side and press into a lump. Knead the dough 8-9 turns, folding the dough over on itself and pressing, then turning the dough a quarter turn and repeating. Place the now-smooth dough on a piece of waxed paper or a counter top. Roll out to ½ – ¾ inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter—without twisting!—and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the remaining scraps into a lump of equal thickness. Place in a 450° oven. Bake @8 minutes for convection, 10-12 for a regular oven. Cooking time will vary due to biscuit size.

 

Editor’s Note:  Visit our Resources page to download copies of every recipe we’ve published on the blog,
including LOTS more from Ms. Sam!