I grew up with baking powder biscuits as a staple, as did a lot of families. They are rather perfect for any time of day. Baking powder biscuits are equally good slathered in butter and jam, with tea or coffee, as they are accompanying a large pot of soup on a cold night.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Baking powder biscuits are a fairly simple thing really with just a few ingredients. So it’s not like I am reinventing the wheel here. However there are few tricks that make ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

• Cook them on stoneware for a crisp base.
• Use buttermilk. Nothing is the same as buttermilk.
• Keep pea size flecks of cold butter in the dough.
• When cutting out the biscuits, push your biscuit cutter straight down. Do not twist or rotate it. This gives you the most lift or rise on a biscuit.
• Flip the biscuits over, so the bottom becomes the top on the baking tray (it will give you even more rise).
• Keep the dough cold and cook in a hot oven.
• Use a good baking powder and not self rising flour.
• Pat the dough out by hand and not a rolling pin.
• Keep the dough thick, 1″ is best.

Simple Ingredients

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Cold Butter, diced
3/4 Cup Cold Buttermilk

Makes 10 – 12 biscuits
Bake at 450 for 10 -12 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve warm.
Or room temperature with butter and jam.
Leftover biscuits can be stored covered, but always taste the best the first day.

Can these be made with regular milk? Definitely. They won’t be the same, however they will be plenty good enough to accompany a pot of soup and slather in butter.

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Baking Powder Biscuits

Wonderful baking powder biscuits that taste great day or night.

Keyword baking powder biscuit, biscuits, tea biscuit

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 Cup Cold Butter diced
• 3/4 Cup Cold Buttermilk

Instructions

1. Makes 10 – 12 biscuits
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Cut cold unsalted butter into a rough dice.
5. Using a pastry cutter, work in to the flour until the butter is pea sized and worked throughout.
6. Add 3/4 Cup of cold buttermilk and use a fork to mix in loosely.
7. Use your hands to work the dough until it comes together. Do not over work the dough. You want a bit sticky, but not smooth. Only knead it until the dough comes together and doesn’t have wet or dry spots. If it’s too dry add more buttermilk a teaspoon at time.
8. Generously flour a work surface and turn out the dough.
9. Gently pat the dough out evenly until 1″ thick.
10. Using a floured biscuit cutter (2″-3″ diameter) cut the biscuits out by pressing straight down and not twisting the cutter, for the most rise.
11. Flip over and place onto a stoneware baking pan (or a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper) so that the bottom of the biscuit is now the top (which will give even more rise in the oven).
12. Gather and re-roll any leftover doll and repeat. adding more flour to your work surface if needed. Your first biscuits are going to look the nicest. But I still re-roll any scraps and use all the dough up regardless (I think it tastes the same, even if they don’t look as pretty).

13. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 -12 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

14. Serve warm.
15. Or room temperature with butter and jam.

Recipe Notes

Leftover biscuits can be stored covered, but always taste the best the first day.
Can these be made with regular milk? Definitely. They won’t be the same, however they will be plenty good enough to accompany a pot of soup and slather in butter.


Sometimes I feel the need to record these recipes for no other reason than for a spot for my kids or family to find them. Often I make them from my head. Or the once upon a time recipe has changed remarkably from its original roots, enough so that following it causes a different outcome and frustration.

Also a little bit of selfishness – because sometimes I use my own recipes off my site as a quick spot to find them when I want to double check a measurement or have some one else make it.

Maybe you need some cinnamon tea biscuits in your life too. Spoiler: you definitely do.