Easy Homemade Biscuits

This is what we had for breakfast today.

The picture is not the best (I curse the awful lighting we have in this temporary housing), but I assure you it was yummy!  What did you have?

I still consider myself to be quite the novice when it comes to making rolled biscuits.  BUT...I think I have found the best recipe yet.  Thanks to Beth from kitchenMage, I made these babies.

Now if you are comparing mine to hers, I know what you are thinking.  Hers look much better.  Let me remind you that I already stated I am a bit of a novice at this whole biscuit making thing.  It could also be due, in part, to  my crappy lack of photography skills and the fact that I used a phone camera.  Either way, I think these are the best I've ever made!  

I have always been a lover of biscuits.  As a kid, I cherished the occasional "going out for breakfast" events because it meant I could order biscuits instead of toast.  Homemade biscuits were not a staple in our kitchen, but I loved them so.  The fluffy, soft, buttery goodness was such a treat.  

Let's face it.  Biscuits really aren't that tricky.  After all, they require just a few basic ingredients, and they really take no time at all in an oven.  However, when you are new to mixing, kneading, and rolling dough, the job can feel a bit daunting.  The more you mess with dough, the tougher the biscuits become, and if things aren't just right, you can be left with a sticky, gooey mess before you ever get to cut any biscuits.  Then there is the whole "just how thick am I supposed to roll this stuff" to get the perfect end result?  It does take some practice...and well, some confidence (which, by the way, comes with some trial and error--as with everything in life).

Anyway, I am glad that I have continued to make homemade biscuits.  I have come a long way from my first ever batch of bisquick "drop" biscuits (because I was too scared to attempt rolled biscuits).  Baking a fluffy, flaky, biscuit from scratch really can be done!

I did not use a food processor, as Beth did.  I used my hands, but these were really easy.  Be sure to check out Beth's extra notes, as well as her photos of the whole process.  It is all good info.  And, thank you, Beth!

Easy Homemade Biscuits

from Beth at kitchenMage

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cold butter
1 cup cold milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.

Next, cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the flour mixture.  Then cut in the butter with your hands by shmearing (yes that is my own word) it between your fingers (there's no need for a pastry blender).  The result should be a crumbly looking dough, with the butter pieces about the size of peas.

Then add in the cold milk and gently mix the dough until it just comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough just a few times to get it into a more cohesive ball of dough (I did have to add just a sprinkle or two of flour to keep it from sticking to everything!).

Roll the dough out (I rolled it into a circle) to a thickness of about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch, and cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter or glass (I actually used a 3-inch cutter).  I was able to get 8 biscuits from this batch, and I did save the leftover dough for later, as Beth suggested.

Place your biscuits on cookie sheet (no need to grease) and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

The end result is a lovely, fluffy, warm biscuit...mmm, so good with butter and jelly, or used to make a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich, as we did this morning. Then there is always biscuits and gravy.  Are you hungry yet?  Enjoy!