Grandma’s Baking Powder Biscuit Recipe

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This baking powder biscuit recipe comes straight from my great-grandmother’s recipe book! Simple ingredients combine to create fluffy, flaky biscuits that are perfect for breakfast, dinner, or anytime you need warm biscuits. These are the best baking powder biscuits you’ll ever make – tender, buttery, and absolutely delicious.

Every time I make these homemade biscuits I think of great-grandma in her farmhouse kitchen with flour dusted on her apron. She kept a box of old recipes that have been passed down through generations, and this biscuit recipe is one of my favorites.

There’s something magical about pulling hot biscuits from the oven and serving them with melted butter and honey. These fluffy biscuits are a staple in our house, just like they were in hers.

Here’s my grandmother’s original recipe, right from her own recipe book. (Back when shortening was the new cool thing!)

Tips for Making the Best Baking Powder Biscuits

This easy biscuit recipe comes together quickly with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The key to tender biscuits with flaky layers is handling the biscuit dough as little as possible.

Cold butter is essential for creating those beautiful flaky layers in your biscuits. The best way to incorporate it is to cut it into small pieces or use a cheese grater before adding the butter to the flour mixture.

Don’t overwork the dough or you’ll end up with hard biscuits instead of light and fluffy ones. Knead gently for just half a minute – that little bit of handling is all you need for great biscuits.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• Flour: 2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour creates the perfect texture for these biscuits
• Baking Powder: Make sure to use fresh baking powder for best results – it’s what gives these biscuits their rise and fluffy texture
• Salt: Just 1/4 teaspoon enhances all the flavors

Wet Ingredients:

• Butter: I use 4 tablespoons of cold butter instead of shortening like great-grandma sometimes did – butter creates more flavor and flakier biscuits
• Milk: Whole milk or buttermilk both work beautifully (buttermilk biscuits have a slight tang that’s delicious!)

Tools:

How to Make Grandma’s Baking Powder Biscuits

Prepare Your Work Space:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit – a hot oven is crucial for fluffy biscuits with golden brown tops. Prepare your work surface by lightly dusting a floured board or counter.

Mix the Dry Ingredients:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sifting helps create lighter, fluffier biscuits by aerating the flour mixture.

Cut in the Butter:

Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, pastry cutter, or even a box grater, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

The pieces of butter should be about the size of small peas – this creates those flaky layers we all love. You can also use a wooden spoon or the bowl of a food processor if that’s easier.

Add the Milk:

Pour in the milk (or buttermilk) and mix just until the dough follows the fork around the bowl. The biscuit dough should be soft but not sticky.

If your dough seems too dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too wet, dust with a little more flour on your lightly floured surface.

Knead and Shape:

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for just half a minute. This is enough to bring the dough together without developing too much gluten, which would make the biscuits tough.

Roll or pat the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut straight down without twisting – twisting seals the edges and prevents the biscuits from rising properly.

Bake:

Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet with sides nearly touching for softer sides, or space them apart for crispier edges. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

Serve:

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter if desired. Serve these warm biscuits immediately for the best experience!

Storing Baking Powder Biscuits

Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. These homemade biscuits also freeze beautifully!

Wrap individual biscuits tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months and can be reheated in a preheated oven.

Variations:

Buttermilk Biscuits: Substitute buttermilk for regular milk for tangier biscuits with extra tenderness

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits: Fold in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese before adding the milk

Whole Wheat Biscuits: Substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour

Drop Biscuits: For an even easier recipe, increase milk to 1 cup and drop spoonfuls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet (no rolling required!)

Herb Biscuits: Add 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, or chives to the dry ingredients

Tips for Success:

Keep your butter cold right up until you cut it into the flour – this is the best way to achieve flaky biscuits. Some people even grate frozen butter with a box grater for the coldest possible butter!

Use a light touch when mixing and kneading the biscuit dough. Overworking creates dense biscuits instead of light, fluffy ones.

Cut biscuits close together to minimize scraps, which won’t be quite as tender when rerolled. The first cutting always yields the best biscuits.

For fluffier biscuits, place them close together on the baking sheet so they rise up instead of spreading out. For crispier edges, space them apart.

Don’t open the oven door during baking – the hot oven temperature is what creates the steam for those beautiful flaky layers. This great recipe relies on that initial blast of heat.

Serving Suggestions:

These baking powder biscuits are perfect for any meal! Serve them warm for breakfast with butter and honey or jam.

They’re wonderful for dinner alongside soups and stews. Split them open and top with sausage gravy for a hearty breakfast.

Use them to make biscuit sandwiches with fried eggs and cheese. They’re also delicious with Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings for a special dessert combination.

More Old-Fashioned Recipes from Great-Grandma

If you love this easy recipe, you’ll want to try these other treasures from my great-grandmother’s kitchen:

Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Blueberry Muffins Recipe – another simple breakfast treat from her recipe box

Old Fashioned Recipe: Classic Brown Sugar Pudding – a sweet dessert that’s been a family favorite for generations

Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings Recipe – the perfect way to use seasonal apples in a classic dessert

Recipe Notes:

This recipe makes 16 small biscuits or 10 large biscuits depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. It’s easy to double for a lot of biscuits when feeding a crowd!

Self-rising flour can be used in place of the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt – just omit those ingredients and use 2 cups self-rising flour instead. The next time you make these, try the buttermilk version for even more tender biscuits.

If you don’t have whole milk, skim milk or even almond milk will work. You can also substitute sour cream thinned with a little milk for extra rich biscuits.

For emergency biscuits, you can keep the dry ingredients pre-mixed in a medium bowl in your pantry – just add cold butter and milk when you’re ready to bake! This is a favorite recipe for busy mornings.

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