Easy Southern Biscuit Recipe From Scratch (with Video)

Biscuits are the epitome of classic southern comfort especially slathered with butter.  There are very few meals in which this quick bread doesn’t make the table in a Southerners home. All cooks need to have a great biscuit recipe under their belt and this easy southern biscuit recipe from scratch fits the bill.

Memories

I can remember my momma and grandma making biscuits when I was a little girl.  My grandma, or Mawmaw as I always called her would let me take the little scrapes of dough that were left over from the dough on her hands and pieces that she couldn’t form into a real biscuit and would let me make my own biscuits.  

Let’s be clear, what I created was more like a cracker that was the size of a quarter and flatter than a flitter but I was always so proud when she let me bake it up in my own little pan in the big girl oven.  An no matter how gross it may have tasted, I thought they were the best “biscuits” ever made. 

Now as a momma I let me boys do the same thing. 

Grayson and Gunner both love to cook with me, but Grayson loves to bake.  Any time he sees me reaching for my rolling pin, he runs into the kitchen asking to make biscuits with me. He is my little baker man.

He is always so proud of himself when we lay the thin pieces of overworked biscuit dough out onto the baking pan, and like his momma he thinks they are the best “biscuits” in the world. It fills my heart with so much joy to see him so excited and to remember my Mawmaw  letting me do the same thing. 

“Funky” Biscuits

My Momma would also let me make scrap biscuits, but Momma never quite left as many scraps Mawmaw did (I think Mawmaw did that on purpose).  That was because Momma always made a bakers biscuit or two.  You know the biscuit I am talking about.  You don’t quite have enough to make a perfectly round biscuit so you take the cuttings and smush them into what my momma calls a “funky biscuit” (she grew up in the 70’s folks). 

These “funky biscuits” are reserved for the baker.  I can remember these being the prized possession in the kitchen.  Everyone loved the “funky biscuit”.  Honestly, they didn’t taste any different, but we all swore they were the best.

Momma rarely kept it for herself because she is a selfless woman, so instead my sister and I would fight over who got the biscuit.  Now that we are grown and out of the house she gets to keep her funky biscuits all to herself, at least until we come to visit.

The Perfect Biscuit

The perfect biscuit in my opinion is soft and fluffy with the perfect balance of salt and fat.  It has to reach a certain height after baking before I will qualify it as a perfect biscuit.  Flat biscuits have no place at my table. Biscuits have three main components.  Flour, Fat, Dairy. 

That is why these southern beauties are so wonderful!  They require so very little to make and you can dress them up in so many ways.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner you will want these to be at your kitchen table. 

I never had an exact biscuit recipe from my momma or my mawmaw.  They always just dumped and scooped and felt until they thought it was right.  The crazy thing is that their biscuits always turned out perfect!

Over the years I have learned that same method, but have broken down that method into some measurements for you to be able to follow and replicate these delicious biscuits.  Before we talk about how to make them, you need to know what you need to make them!

The Ingredients

Biscuits are a super simple quick bread that take just three ingredients to make the perfect bread to fill your basket at dinner time. These pantry staples are also relatively inexpensive!

Fat Is Where It’s At

I have always used shortening with my biscuits instead of butter.  Shortening is 100% fat while butter remains around that 80% mark.  For my biscuits, I want all of the fat. Shortening is one of those keep in your pantry at all times kind of ingredients and Crisco has always been what my family uses.  (Update: while shortening is how I grew up, lard will provide the same effect as shortening with less adverse health effects long term. Whether you choose to use lard or shortening, you will still have a delicious biscuit!)

When used in biscuits it makes them nice and fluffy like a biscuit should be. It also gives a much more tender texture to the bread.  So when it comes to biscuit making, butter on top, lard inside ya’ll!  

Flour

I have always use self-rising flour when making biscuits and other types of quick breads like them.  Hudson Cream to be more specific.  I will be honest that I don’t really know why Hudson Cream other than that is what my Mawmaw and my momma both used and it is sacrilege to use any other brand. Don’t go changing things that don’t need to be changed.

Self- Rising flour is just like its name suggests, it has risers in it already.  No need to go through with all the additional measuring of things like baking powder and salt.  It is already in there and evenly distributed for the perfect biscuit making four.  I do add just a pinch of salt to my biscuits just to elevate the flavor a bit, but it is not necessary for the final product to be delicious. 

(2021 update) Recently, with supply chain shortages I had to purchase a different brand of self rising flour, at it did make a huge different in texture to my biscuits. The brand was touted to be great for biscuits, but the flour felt grainy verses soft like Hudson Cream. This grainy texture of the raw flour translated to crumbly biscuits. Needless to say, I will not be buying that brand ever again with the expectation of making biscuits with it.

Dairy

While I love a good ol’ Buttermilk biscuit, I rarely have buttermilk in my fridge unless it is a holiday or special occasion.  We just don’t use it that often. 

I like to make recipes with things that I always have on hand. Which is why when making biscuits I use regular whole milk. That is what the kids drink and that is what I always have on hand.  If there isn’t milk in the fridge, there is likely to be a revolt at dinner time. 

You can always add a little vinegar to your milk to fake buttermilk if you would like.  The acid in buttermilk does help to make the bread a little more tender, but by using the shortening you really don’t need that.  It also gives the bread a little different depth of flavor, but again the thing I love about this recipe is that it is so simple and I have it all on hand.  However, feel free to substitute the milk out for buttermilk if you have it on hand!

Bring It Together

To me this is the part that makes all the difference in the world and the most unlikely person taught me this…. My daddy.

I remember making biscuits over and over again and failing.  They would fall apart, be super dry, and flake (not in a good way).  They were edible, but subpar at best. 

One day I am talking to him on the phone and we start talking about my momma’s biscuits.  I tell him that I can never get them like mommas and he tells me, you have to knead the dough enough Kimberly.  I had been so worried about overworking my biscuit dough that I was inadvertently under working it resulting in biscuits that were not like my momma’s and Mawmaw’s.  It was a revelation to me. 

Since that day, I have learned what it feels like to make biscuits the right way. It really is a feeling that takes time to understand, but it is not difficult and it is certainly not impossible to learn. 

Another trick I learned was that they need to rest before they go straight to the oven!

While you are working them the gluten is getting all tight and whatnot in the dough.  You need to give it a chance to relax a bit before you start baking it in a hot oven. This helps to keep your biscuits nice a tender. 

I typically don’t preheat my oven until the dough is done and the biscuits are sitting on the pan.  I then preheat the over while the biscuits rest and when my oven tells me it’s hot enough I put them in.  That extra 5 to 10 minutes is all they need to sit and relax. 

Did You Know? Fun Facts About Biscuits

• The word biscuit comes from the French (bis) for twice and (cuit) for cooked
• Biscuits were originally hard flat puck like cakes that were also known as stone bread or hard tac
• Biscuits were only made with flour and water early on
• The fluffy soft biscuits we know today originated in the kitchens of southern plantations
• With the introduction of sugar, British biscuits became popular. Taking on the crisp texture of the stone bread, but the delightfulness of what is known in the US as a cookie!

How to Enjoy Your Biscuits

As I said before, biscuits are a staple for breakfast lunch and dinner. Who doesn’t love a warm biscuit straight from the oven slathered in a melting pad of soft golden butter?? Are you drooling yet, because I may be. My favorite way to enjoy a biscuit, other than the one mentioned above, is with so golden honey dripping off the sides, or jelly, or apple butter. If you need a good apple butter recipe, check out ours right here!

Literally you could put pertineer (that’s WV for nearly and just about) anything on a biscuit and it would be delicious. Ham, bacon, sausage, egg, you name it you should eat it on a biscuit. A delicious combination is country ham with some hot pepper jelly. Talk about finger licking good! Shew! Well I have jabbered enough about these biscuits, let’s make some!

What to Serve with Biscuits

Biscuits are super versatile and can be served with a number of dishes. These are some of our favorites!

• Meatloaf and Scalloped Potatoes
• Sausage Gravy and Fried Eggs
• Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
• Zuppa Toscana
• Refrigerator Soup
• Venison Gravy with Canned Venison
• Scrambled Eggs and Ham
• SPAM Breakfast Skillet
• Pot roast with potatoes and carrots
• Pork Tenderloin and Smooshed Potatoes

Our Favorite Biscuit Making Tools

While you really can use anything to make biscuits we have a few favorite tools that we would like to share with you. However, I have been known to use a glass to roll them and cut them out. Don’t let not having these tools stop you from making these delicious biscuits.

• Our Favorite Mixing Bowls
• Biscuit Cutter
• Rolling Pin
• Cast Iron Skillet
• Storage- Biscuit Tin

For more recipes follow us on Pinterest! We hope you love this recipe! leave us a comment below

Spread the love