Southern Biscuit Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Crafted with a mere trio of essential ingredients, this timeless Southern biscuit recipe stands as an enduring cornerstone of Southern culinary tradition. These biscuits, embodying a perfect fusion of simplicity and flavor, hold a cherished place in Southern households. Soft, fluffy, and undeniably delectable, they transcend the boundaries of mealtime, seamlessly transitioning from a morning indulgence to a savory accompaniment for dinner.
Each bite carries with it a taste of Southern heritage, a testament to the art of Southern comfort food. The simplicity of the ingredients belies the rich and comforting flavors that emerge from the oven. Tender and buttery, they exude a warmth that envelopes the senses. Slathered with butter or adorned with gravy, these biscuits become a canvas for a multitude of culinary delights, adapting effortlessly to various accompaniments. These flaky butter biscuits go perfect so many types of soups like Creamy Vegetable Soup, Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe, Vegan Butternut Squash Soup, and Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients To Make Homemade Biscuits
- (self-rising)
- Shortening
- Milk or buttermilk
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make This Classic Southern Biscuit Recipe
Place the flour into a medium bowl and add the shortening. Cut in with a fork or pastry cutter.
It will look like this when you are done.
Not incredibly different but you won’t be able to really see the shortening anymore once it is incorporated into the flour.
Most recipes will tell you to cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles peas. I’ve never, in my life, seen peas that look like this, or a flour/shortening mixture that looked like peas. It must have been a high imagination day when that analogy was thought up.
Add in your milk.
Stir that milk in until your dough starts to stick together good.
Sprinkle flour onto a surface. I like to lay out a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it on top of that for easy clean-up later.
Dump your biscuit dough out onto the floured surface.
Now you need to knead it.
However, you don’t want to over-knead it or you’ll end up with my Daddy’s hockey pucks.
I tell my kids “In biscuits, as in relationships, it’s never good to be too kneady.” LOL
Then, I cut your Southern biscuits.
Cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped into flour to keep the cut biscuits from sticking to it.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place your cut biscuits in it, making sure the sides touch. This helps them to rise because they support each other as they bake and rise up.
I tell my kids “You want them touching because biscuits are like good friends, they help each other rise up.”
Bake these at 500 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and brush tops of these classic southern biscuits with melted butter, if you’d like. Enjoy all the delicious .
How To Store Homemade Biscuits
- Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in a low oven or in the air fryer.
- You can also freeze the baked biscuits or unbaked for up to 3 months. Thaw both the and overnight in the fridge before reheating as above or following the instructions.
Recipe FAQs
Why does the recipe have such a large range for how much milk to use?
Sometimes, your flour will need a little more, sometimes a little less. I could have used a little more in this tutorial but it’ll turn out just fine. Biscuits are really hard to mess up, so if yours end up a little dry, no worries, they’ll still be delicious! They’ll actually absorb honey and butter a little better. My daddy used to make hockey puck biscuits on Sunday morning but they still tasted good and we gobbled ’em all down! What’s even better, if there were any left we could use them as weapons on each other out in the backyard. Always a plus side!
How do I avoid over-kneading my Southern biscuit dough?
To avoid over-kneading, I press my dough into a ball and then press it out flat. I do this no more than two or three times. The dough should still stretch. If it rips or tears then it’s probably over kneaded. So once the dough is soft and springs back a little, it’s done.
Can I Create Any Variations With This Recipe?
Here are some fun variations to make with this Southern biscuit recipe:
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- For a savory alternative, add shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives, or chopped bacon to your dough.
- For sweet, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar into your dough.
- To make a scone-like biscuit, add dried fruits.
What Can I Serve With These Biscuits?
These pair best with your favorite Southern . This might be fried chicken, , pimento cheese dip, or bacon, egg, and cheese for the ultimate breakfast sandwich.
You may also enjoy these other Southern biscuit recipes:
- Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- Pimento Cheese Biscuits
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings (With Canned Biscuit)
- Biscuit Pretzels
- Drop Biscuits Recipe
- Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour see notes if using all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 2/3-3/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place flour into a medium bowl and cut in the shortening until well incorporated. Stir in just enough milk until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.2 cups White Lily self-rising flour, 1/4 cup shortening, 2/3-3/4 cup milk
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead two or three times. Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped in flour. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Who taught you how to make biscuits? Who made the biscuits in your family? Maybe you’ve never had a biscuit or to you, a “biscuit” is what we think of like a cookie – that’s just fine, too.
I make “sweet cinnamon biscuits”, which are made like cinnamon rolls, but using a biscuit recipe. I put them in a muffin pan to bake. The kids love them for breakfast. I will try this biscuit recipe with them!
My mother makes the best biscuits ever!! She calls them “cat head” biscuits. Only she makes them with buttermilk and she also uses her hands to shape them. Beautiful and yummy! Nothing better than Momma’s “big” ole homemade biscuit with a big scoop of butter and syrup!
I remember she would make an extra pan for my Dad to take to work. One time a guy he worked with ask him “where did you get those biscuits” He just laughed! He told him that those where Miss Bea’s biscuits. Then the guy wanted to know who Miss Bea was and where he could get those biscuits. He finally told him you cant buy those biscuits – Miss Bea (his wife) makes em’! After that all they guys he worked with would tell him he was in charge of bringing the biscuits when he worked the a.m. shift. Her buttermilk pie was also a big favorite. Thanks for sharing your recipe!! I can honestly say I’ve tried to make biscuits. (it does not work for me)….lets just say I dont get my cooking skills from my Mother! LOL Momma always said you have to have patience to make biscuits. Thanks again for the recipe and the memories!
Growing up biscuits were a staple at pretty much every meal. Mom made them from scratch. When I got older biscuits were on the top of my list to learn to make and Mom, ever the teacher, was very through in her instructions…” you put about that much flour and cut in about that much shortening until it looks like this, then add milk until it looks like this and feels like this” etc… never one to let measuring get in the way of a good meal, she cooked by sight and smell…. and of course you only cooked your biscuits in a cast iron skillet. At 81 she still can kick it in the kitchen.. biscuits and gravy, home made pies with a crust that melts in your mouth, cookies that make you drool… mom could then and can now turn out meals that only a mother can truly make. I might add that she wanted 3 girls and got 3 boys, but that didn’t keep her from teaching each of us boys how to cook, clean and sew. Thanks, Mom.
My grandmother and aunt taught me how to make these same biscuits. My aunt Jan makes the best biscuits and chocolate gravy ever!
My momma used to make biscuits, eggs, and gravy for breakfast several days a week. How I wish I had paid more attention to what she used and how she made them, but I was too busy eating them! They were light and fuffy and made from scratch, with a “starter” from the day before. Yummy!
White Lily is the only flour I ever use! I learned to make biscuits watching my Mamaw. She had a “flour bowl” and always just made a well of lard and “sweet” milk in the middle, then she would stir with her finger until she got the right consistency. After that, she would pinch off a little dough and roll it in her hands, place it in an iron skillet and flatten it just a little. Mmmmmm, hot biscuits with homemade butter and molasses! Can’t beat that! And, I must admit that I still use lard when I make biscuits….just tastes better to me. 🙂
My mother, Ida Mae, cooked every meal. We never ate out!! But, she was such a good cook, that no one ever complained . She cooked biscuits every morning, and only used White Lily Flour. She made bread every day, and always had a different cake or pie in the afternoon for us when we got off the school bus. It has taken me years to be able to cook like my Mom, and I still have a lot to learn. She passed away 2 years ago, and I have her old biscuit cutter. she always used the same one, and the same pan. She made home made jelly, so we would have that with our bread or biscuits. And, all of my friends always wanted to come to my house , just because of my moms cooking. Thanks, Christy, I love your website, and your recipes!!-