Flaky Mile High Biscuits
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These buttermilk biscuits are incredibly tall, flaky, soft, and oh-so-buttery! This is the only fool-proof biscuit recipe you will ever need!
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Why you’ll love Flaky Mile High Biscuits
- All the flaky layers. These buttermilk biscuits are extra tall, extra buttery, and extra flaky – the 3 most important elements in a great homemade biscuit!
- So much better than store-bought. You can say goodbye to the canned stuff and skip the artificial preservatives! You only need six simple pantry staples to have warm, freshly baked biscuits with crisp golden bottoms and soft, fluffy centers to elevate any meal.
- Freezes beautifully. Biscuits freeze like a dream, keeping in the freezer for up to 3 months. And you can bake the biscuits directly from the freezer (no thawing required), perfect for entertaining, holiday prep, or even baking a few of them at a time alongside a quick family dinner!
Key Ingredients
Flour
All-purpose flour provides the base for the biscuit dough
Leavening agents
Baking powder and baking soda serve as the leavening agents to give the biscuits their rise, yielding light, airy volume and height
Salt
Enhances flavor and strengthens the dough’s gluten structure
Unsalted butter
Cold, unsalted butter is key for tender, flaky layers
Buttermilk
Cold buttermilk adds the necessary moisture to activate the leavening agents and provide a subtle tangy flavor
How to make Flaky Mile High Biscuits
- Prep the baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy clean up.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the cold butter. Work in the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks crumbly.
- Add the liquid. Stir in the cold buttermilk using a rubber spatula until the dough comes together.
- Fold and shape. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, kneading and folding it over a few times to create flaky layers. Then roll the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
- Cut out rounds. Press straight down with a floured biscuit or cookie cutter, avoiding any twisting, to cut out about 10-12 rounds. Pro tip: if planning for leftovers, flash freeze the biscuits here before transferring to an airtight, resealable freezer bag.
- Freeze. Place the biscuits onto the baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and bake at 450°F for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve. Serve warm, split open with a pat of butter, or spread with fruit jam, jelly, or marmalade.
additions and variations
- Meat: cooked and crumbled bacon (or sausage) or diced ham
- Cheese: shredded sharp cheddar, gruyere, or parmesan cheese
- Herbs: chopped fresh chives, rosemary, or thyme
- Seasonings: garlic powder or black pepper
FREEZING AND STORAGE
Storage
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Freeze before baking
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. Bake as directed directly from the freezer, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time as needed.
Freeze after baking
Let the biscuits cool completely. Wrap each biscuit tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then transfer the individually-wrapped biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
More favorite biscuit recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Flaky Mile High Biscuits: Frequently Asked Questions
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
A sharp knife should do the trick using a downward motion. Using a dull rim, such as a glass or mason jar, can prevent the biscuits from rising.
This process will keep the butter from melting, resulting in a higher rise and flakier layers.
Yes! Biscuits are very freezer-friendly, flash freezing once assembled (before baking) and storing in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Flaky Mile High Biscuits
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 ½ cups cold buttermilk
For baking
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
- Cut out 10-12 rounds using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove biscuits from freezer and brush tops with melted butter. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Cold butter is key. When the cold butter melts in the oven, it will release steam and push the dough to form those favorited airy, flaky layers and a high rise.
- Use buttermilk. While adding a slightly tangy flavor, buttermilk is a key ingredient here contributing to the flavor, texture and rise. Using milk will lead to more neutral flavors along with flat and dense biscuits.
- Make a buttermilk substitute. You can make a buttermilk substitute at home by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Avoid overworking the dough. Knead the dough just until it comes together. Overworking the dough can lead to dense, dry biscuits.
- Use a floured biscuit cutter. Flouring the biscuit cutter beforehand will prevent sticking. Avoid twisting the cutter as the biscuits may slope and rise unevenly.
- Freeze before baking. Although biscuits can be frozen before or after baking, freezing before baking is preferred to preserve texture and for optimal freshness.
Did you make this recipe?
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I used salted butter and they were DELISH. There is powdered buttermilk in the cooking aisle that I always have on hand…easier than keeping actual buttermilk on hand. Also…when you push down on the biscuit cuter, do not “twist” the device…it kind of “seals” the edges and they will not rise as much.
Hello ,I cant wait to try this recipe! do you have to freeze the dough before baking?
These are the best home made biscuits that I have ever made, and I have tried several recipes. I just made these with sausage gravy and fried potatoes and my husband asked me if they came from a can or did I make them from scratch, he said that they looked very nice and they were delicious. I will NOT be trying another recipe, this is a keeper. Thank You for sharing.
P.S. The instructions are very plain.
Thank you for posting. This is our new go-to biscuit recipe. Freezing them for 15-20 minutes is a fantastic idea. We’re very picky about biscuits. This is it!
This was a great addition to a special breakfast in bed on
Valentine’s day
Use this recipe all the time, perfect!
It’s a no fail good biscuit recipe.
Perfect biscuit recipe. I used half and half because I had it in the house.
Reminder, handle this dough as little as possible.
What brand of all purpose flour do you use?
Thank you, Angie
These are by far the BEST biscuits I have ever made and the taste is incredible!! They were light and fluffy and tall. Excellent texture and scrumptious taste.
Has anyone kept The cut biscuit dough frozen. Then bake them like a week or two later? If so how long does it take to bake from frozen?
I tested this recently. I made a batch of these biscuits for Thanksgiving but it makes way more than my husband and I can eat so I froze a sheet tray’s worth of biscuits to save for later. I cooled them for 20 min on the tray before moving the biscuits to freezer bags. Last night, about three weeks later, I baked some of the frozen biscuits. I used the same temperature and time in the recipe: 450 for 15 minutes and they turned out perfect!
Did you defrost the dough or cook straight from frozen?
Wanted to make biscuits for the longest time but couldn’t find an easy one until this one. Thank you for sharing your recipe, it was a hit with my Texan and fussy eaters .
First time making biscuits from scratch. Wow! So easy and so good. Partner says I have to make these biscuits every weekend now.
These are simply the buttery best. I’ve tried to make several different biscuit recipes only to end up discouraged. These are truly flaky, light, luscious, and easy to make…..even for me. Any time I’m in the mood for some, I just throw them together and have a warm one in less than an hour. Yummm!
I gave this 4 stars just because I have not tried them yet. But they do look delicious. So glad I finally found a biscuit recipe that does not call for “YEAST” for some reason yeast is intimidating to me (hahaha). Thanks so much for the recipes and keep them coming. Have a wonderful day.
Recipe is wonderful. The only problem I had was it was lacking salt. they didn’t raise as much as I would like. But the taste was perfect!
Can I just say YUM. These are now my go-to biscuit recipe. Flaky. Soft inside with a nice crisp on the outside. The butter on top is a must. Don’t skip this step.
I have been searching high and low for a champion biscuit recipe. THIS. IS. IT.
I think I needed mine a little too much because I ended mix it quite enough in the bowl. Delicious. I will be making again.
This is my first time making biscuits and they were amazing! I used a lemon juice/milk mixture to replace the buttermilk. Great recipe and so easy to make!
Great improvising!
My search has come to an end, I finally found the holy grail of biscuits! These are definitely delicious with jelly, stupendous with butter and honey, and my husbands absolute favorite with gravy. Thanks a million.
That’s awesome! So happy you found what you were looking for!