Simple, Fluffy Biscuits for Two!
Biscuits are best when they are fresh and hot. This small batch homemade biscuits recipe makes five 2″ biscuits, which is perfect for smaller households.
What do I need to make a Small Batch of Homemade Biscuits?
- all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- baking powder
- sugar
- unsalted butter
- whole milk
I love the unassuming role the whole milk takes on; buttermilk biscuits lend towards a sour (yet desirable) flavor, and I get that. But whole milk simply provides moisture, and keeps these biscuits nice and simple.
These biscuits are especially good with this small batch sausage gravy. But if you’re not into consuming all of your calories before noon, you can definitely use these homemade biscuits as a vessel for your favorite local jelly! The thing I love about this recipe is the simplicity of its flavor. With only six ingredients, it stays true to basic pantry ingredients to make these delicious, puffy treats.
How many biscuits does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 4-5 medium-sized biscuits. (They’re 2″ biscuits). There’s just enough to grab a couple before work during the week, then use a couple on the weekend for biscuits and gravy. 🙂
You can use a biscuit cutter to make five biscuits, or you can simply cut the layered dough into quarters to create four biscuits. It’s been done both ways, and is delicious no matter what!
The trick to biscuits is handling the dough with a delicate, yet intentional, touch. You want layers, but you don’t want to work the dough too much. Fold the dough onto itself, lightly pat it out, then fold again. The more folds, the more layers.
Bake your biscuits just until the tops develop a gorgeous, golden brown color. The inside will still be light and flaky, and pull apart with ease.
One piece of advice I’d like to offer here: try to not twist the biscuit cutter as you’re cutting into the dough. It can interfere with the dough rising as it bakes, and result in a flat biscuit. Just firmly cut into the dough, gently wiggle the cutter it back and forth a few times to loosen the cut shape if you need to.
Set your oven for 425 degrees, and your timer for twelve minutes. Watch your biscuits carefully after the twelve minutes are up, and remove them as soon as the tops develop that golden color we talked about. Let them cool just a little bit, or at least until they’re easy to handle with your hands. But you need to immediately spread butter or jam onto them while they’re still warm. 🙂 Duh. OR, if you’re like me, whip up some sausage gravy while the biscuits cook, and lather their flaky goodness with rich, creamy gravy as soon as it’s come together.
Be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your awesome small batch homemade biscuits! And as always, feel free to reach out to me via email if you have any questions!
Heaven. Truly. It’s biscuit heaven. 🙂 Enjoy!
xx Sara Rose
Small Batch Homemade Biscuits for Two
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour plus extra for dusting and cutting
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon other salt)
- 1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup cold, whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into 1/2" cubes, then add them directly into the dry ingredients. Use your hands to crumble the cold butter into the dry ingredients, forming a coarse crumb.**
- Using a fork, gently stir in the whole milk until a rough ball of dough forms. (Add another tablespoon of flour if the dough seems too wet).
- Turn the rough dough out onto a very well-floured surface. Gently form it into a rectangle that is about one inch thick. Fold the front half of the rectangle onto the bottom half, and gently pat down again. Fold the dough in half again, but this time fold the right side onto the left side. (This is how we create the layers!)
- Gently repeat the folds from the last step. (Fold in half from front to back, gently pat down, then fold in half from side to side.) Gently form it into a rectangle that is about an inch thick.
- Dip a 2" biscuit cutter into the extra flour. Cut two biscuits from the dough, firmly pressing down as you cut. Don't twist the cutter, but you can gently wiggle it back and forth to free the biscuits from the dough.
- Gently form the remaining dough into another one inch thick rectangle, and cut out the third and fourth biscuits. Place the biscuits about 1/2" apart on the prepared baking sheet.***
- Bake the biscuits at 425 F for 12-14 minutes until the tops and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and let the biscuits rest until they are cool enough to handle. Enjoy!
Notes
***If you have ample excess dough, gently mold it together to form another biscuit. >>Refrigerate biscuits up for to one week by keeping them in an airtight freezer bag. >> TO FREEZE: Let biscuits cool completely on a wire rack. Tightly wrap the biscuits in heavy duty aluminum foil, then place them into freezer bags and remove all of the air. This helps protect the flavor and texture when you're ready to reheat them! Freeze for 2-3 months.
- The butter needs to be VERY cold. If you are not immediately mixing the cubed or grated butter into the dry ingredients, keep it in the freezer until you mix it in. Additionally, if you aren't immediately baking the biscuits once they are made, keep them in the refrigerator until you bake them.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
I have made these twice now. They are very delicious, however I have found the need to add a whole stick of butter for a double batch instead of 3 quarters, and I used salted butter and reduced the salt in the recipe. I also used coconut flour for the surface flour. Do not try to sub any coconut flour in the actual mix though! Haha.
Thank you for the recipe!
I have made these twice now. They are very delicious, however I have found the need to add a whole stick of butter for a double batch instead of 3 quarters, and I used salted butter and reduced the salt in the recipe. I also used coconut flour for the surface flour. Do not try to sub any coconut flour in the actual mix though! Haha.
Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for the comment and the tips, Miranda! I’m so glad you think they’re delicious! <3
Made these last weekend for a breakfast with your sausage and gravy. Both are really good and we ate them all. Thank you for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed them, Jim!! Thank you for the kind comment!
These are perfect!! They are wonderful with egg and cheese. My family requests these every Saturday and Sunday now. They are so quick and easy. This is my go to biscuit recipe. Thank you so much.
This totally makes my day, Bobbi! I am SO happy that you and your family enjoy these biscuits so much! Thank YOU so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment!
I just made these again. I don’t think my family will ever get tired of these biscuits. I can see my son making these for his family one day. It’s just so exciting to have found such a great recipe. The layers are just amazing. Again.. Thank you so much Sara 🙂
Bobbi, you have no idea how much all of this means to me! This is the highest compliment you could ever give, and I cannot thank you enough. I hope your son carries on the tradition of making these biscuits, too! Thank you SO, SO much for taking the time to stop back by and leave such a wonderful comment. I love that you’ll continue to enjoy these biscuits on the weekends!! Thank YOU! <3
Tried this recipe 3x, too wet, dense and didn’t work out at all.
Hi Ash! I feel terrible that you had that experience. It sounds like your butter got too warm, which results in it melting into the dough too quickly and causing a dense biscuit. I would recommend making sure your butter is as cold as possible before cutting it into the dry ingredients. I always pop mine in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before using it if I’m mixing it in by hand, but you could also grate frozen butter into a bowl and keep it in the freezer until you’re absolutely ready to mix it into the dry ingredients. Also, be sure to immediately make biscuits and pop them into the oven once the butter is mixed in. If you let the butter OR the dough sit out for too long (especially with these summer temperatures), the butter will become too soft and your biscuit won’t bake properly, which can lead to a denser texture. I hope this helps! Also, the dough is very shaggy after you initially mix it together. In the recipe, I do recommend adding some flour one tablespoon at a time if the dough seems too wet … and to also heavily flour your work surface, so more flour will be incorporated into the dough as you create the layers. And for the final part of trying to troubleshoot – I assume you meant that you tried it three times by the “3x”, but if by “3x” you meant tripled the recipe, I wouldn’t recommend going that route! This recipe is specifically for a small batch of biscuits. I sincerely hope these tips help the recipe work for you if you try it again!
Sara
YUMM!!
Made these VEGAN by swapping the butter out for vegan butter (I used earth balance butter sticks) & the milk out for full fat coconut mylk which was chilled in my fridge beforehand. Also make sure before you open the can from the fridge to give it a good shake so that the fat & water separation can combine again.
You CANT taste the coconut mylk flavor at all!!! I also added a little more butter about 1/2 a tablespoon more but I probably didn’t have to.
I read someone else comment about swapping the flour that they put on the table with coconut flour and I did the same.
These came out fluffy and perfect. 10/10 will make again!
I LOVE your vegan swaps, Lauren! I’m so, so glad you enjoyed them – I just saw them on Pinterest & they look incredible!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to comment, and I I’m so happy that you loved them!
These biscuits are so delicious. I’m baking my second batch right now for dinner. Thank you.
Thank YOU for making them, Valerie! I’m so glad you like them!
Hi Sara, thank you for this recipe! My biscuits had a great texture and delicious flavor. However, the tops remained very pale and only browned slightly around the edges, even when I baked them for the full 14 minutes, whereas the bottoms became sufficiently brown. I didn’t want to keep them in the oven longer because I didn’t want the bottoms to burn. Do you know why this could be happening or have any tips to get that nice golden-brown color? Should I brush the tops of the biscuits with something (egg wash? Butter?) before putting them in the oven? Thanks again!
Hi RIiley! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!! I would try brushing the tops with melted butter and see if that gets you the golden brown tops next time. Sometimes the size / color of the baking sheet can also impact the browning of the top of the biscuits, too. If possible, try to use a light-colored baking sheet that’s about the size of a quarter-sheet-pan (13″ x 9″). This way, the air can circulate around the pan easily, and hopefully help the tops brown and bottoms evenly! Dark colored baking sheets absorb more heat, which can toast the bottoms of the biscuits faster than the top. I don’t think this part sounds like a factor for your biscuits, since the bottoms didn’t cook too quickly, but just another quick note that hopefully helps guarantee the best & most beautiful biscuits. But definitely try the melted butter on top, and a smaller sheet pan (if you weren’t dong that already – which you could have been!) I hope this helps!!
I’ve made these several time now and they are fantastic! I’m wondering if I can flash freeze the biscuits as dough but already cut into biscuit form before baking?
I’m so happy that you enjoy them, Lindsey!! 😍 you can totally freeze the biscuits before baking! I would just cut them out, place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper, and cover them with plastic wrap before freezing. Once they’re solid, you can transfer them to a zip top bag! To bake them, just put them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then directly into a 425 degree oven (still frozen), but bake for about 18-20 minutes total. I hope this helps!!
I’ve made these four times and they’re SO good. I love that I can make a small batch in my toaster oven without heating up my kitchen. I read Riley’s comment about the tops being pale and I’ve experienced the same thing. However, the biscuits are fully cooked, flaky and delicious. Thanks for sharing this easy recipe!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Pam! I’m so glad you love them!!
These biscuits are fantastic! They are easily the best I’ve made. I love to bake, but a really good biscuit has been somewhat elusive. This small batch was perfect for my husband and me.
I’m SO glad that you enjoy them so much, Kristi!! Thank you for the awesome comment!
I baked these this morning. Recipe worked well for me since I could not make biscuits flaky before. Texture: are they supposed to be crunchy when you bite into them? My husband loved them. We ate them with butter, apple butter and raspberry jam. Delicioso. Thanks, God bless
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed them! The tops and bottoms of them will be a little crispy when you bite into them, for sure. The inside should be fluffy though! Your toppings of butter, apple butter, and raspberry jam definitely sound delicious!
Just baked these biscuits and they were delicious. I will keep using this recipe. Thank you so much.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed them, Joyce! 😍 Thank you for taking the time to comment, and I’m so happy to share the recipe with you!
I’d almost given up on making good biscuits. Simple recipe that turned out wonderful. I put the biscuits close together and they had slightly crispy outside. Love the layers. Thanks!
I’m beyond thrilled that you loved the recipe, Julie!! Definitely glad you didn’t give up quite yet – I hope you keep on enjoying the recipe, and I’m just so happy to provide you with one that works!!
I’ve made these so many times so I needed to tell you! These are very flaky and perfect every time I make them and they’re definitely my favorite biscuit recipe for two people after I’ve tried a couple of them! Thank you for the recipe and we love them a lot!
I’m so glad you enjoy them, Kris!! Thank you for taking the time to comment!!
It’s not often that I leave a comment, but this recipe calls for one! I have tried numerous recipes in my search for the perfect biscuits, most were flops. I made these this morning and they are DELICIOUS! Absolutely amazing, and I can’t wait to make them again! I can’t get over how light and fluffy they turned out. Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU for taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment, Niki! You’ve absolutely made my week – thank you again!! I so, so happy to hear that you loved them!! 🥰🥰
can you use 1% milk? Also, what would change in the recipe if I used self rising flour?
You can use 1% milk! The texture may change slightly considering there is less fat in 1% milk, but the fat content of the butter should still contribute to the flavor of these biscuits. And if you’re using self-rising flour, I would reduce the amount of baking powder and salt – probably just use 1/2 tsp. of baking powder (just to be safe), and 1/4 tsp. of salt. I hope this helps!
Oh my gosh Sara! These are so so amazing and so easy to make. While I was making it, I was very unhopeful because I thought I did a lot wrong, but they turned out literally perfect. Such an amazing, easy recipe. Thank you so much!!!
Yay!! I’m SO glad they turned out perfect for you, Anni!! You’re so welcome!!
Perfect every time. I don’t drink milk but always have almond milk on hand still delicious. Thanks
I’m so glad you like them, Cat! And thank you for the note on almond milk — that’s so awesome to hear!!
Helps if everything is cold when mixing. I put flour and sugar and salt in the fridge to get cold before mixing in butter. Works grear
Helps if everything is cold when mixing. I put flour and sugar and salt in the fridge to get cold before mixing in butter. Works grear
Sara, I have made these twice now. I love how flaky they are. However, I am still getting a raw flour taste. The second batch was definitely better. I admit I’m new to biscuits, but am I just not needing them enough? I flipped and folded at least 4 or 5 times. I am so worried about over kneading, It’s all they ever warn about, over kneaded tough doughs….
I’m so glad you love how flaky they are, Chandra! I would try to mix the dough together just a bit more before flipping and folding it; I think the flour taste comes from some of the flour not being totally mixed in. You are totally right about not wanting to overmix the dough though – it’s a delicate balance! As long as you don’t see any excess flour in the dough, you should be set. I would also brush off any excess flour from the biscuits before baking them, too! I hope this helps!
I love how flaky they are. However, I am still getting a raw flour taste. The second batch was definitely better. I admit I’m new to biscuits, but am I just not needing them enough? I flipped and folded at least 4 or 5 times. I am so worried about over kneading, It’s all they ever warn about, over kneaded tough doughs….
Made these just for myself this morning and I must say they are delicious. And since I’m a one person household I have leftovers to eat with the spicy plum jam in my fridge. Don’t hold back the good things just because you’re a “one” !!!
👏👏 you are amazing, Carol! Never hold back on the good things! I’m so glad you enjoyed the biscuits, and I need to find some spicy plum jam for my next batch! 😍
Perfect biscuits 👌
Thank you, Ida! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Really enjoyed these biscuits.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, James! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
These are the best biscuits I have ever made! Thank you! I’ve always struggled to make good ones so I rarely did. Gave it a try again with your recipe, and I’m so glad I did. Some of the best biscuits I have ever even tasted, and I’m grew up on them in the south, so I’ve had a LOT of biscuits. Thank you again! P.S. My Italian husband really likes them too. He doesn’t have any to base it off of except the not so great ones I’ve made, but he said for me to not to lose the recipe. 😂 Biscuits are just a lot different from anything he is use to. I did fuss at him for cutting them like a loaf of bread from top to bottom in slices instead of eating it in bites or just horizontally. Just to be clear I did make them like normal round biscuits so I’m really not sure why he would cut them like a loaf. 😂
And just in case anyone else is in Italy making these, I used lievito istantaneo per pizzaiolo, torta salata, e piadine. There isn’t just one baking powder here.
Your comment COMPLETELY made my day, Nikki!! 😍 and I honestly lol’d at the end 😂😂 I’m SO glad that you both loved the recipe, and it seriously means so much that you took the time to let me know. Thank YOU for making them, and I’m so happy you have a go-to recipe now!! (still laughing btw – now I want to cut my next back into little slices, too 😂)
These biscuits are amazing!! Even my boyfriend loved them and he’s not even into bread…well at least not like I am. Then again, who is?…but I digress. Loved the texture, the flakiness, and I took your advice to another reviewer about adding melted butter on top and that helped with the color. Thank so much for posting!
I’m SO glad you both enjoyed them, Kim! I certainly share your love of bread, so I totally get it!! lol. So glad the melted butter helped with the final color – thank you for trying them out, and thank you for taking the time to comment, too!
This was TOO good. This was so simple, took no time at all and the best part was eating one fresh out of the oven! These will be the new biscuit for anything that calls for them!
I made sure to post on Instagram, so good I was unable to keep this to myself!!
I’m so glad you loved them, Courtney!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave such an awesome comment and to share them on Instagram, too!!
Thank you. My hubby has been wanting biscuits and this was perfect for him. Easy to follow directions.
You’re so welcome, Diane! I’m so happy that you both enjoyed them!
I’ve made these twice now and they’re so delicious! The first time, I didn’t have a biscuit cutter and used a coffee cup to cut them out. I was concerned they’d be too big or bake up wrong but they were great; it made three large biscuits. The second time I used a proper biscuit cutter. They’re so good with apple butter! Thank you for the recipe.
Your coffee cup move is next level – I love it!! You’re so welcome for the recipe, thank you for trying it!!
Can I use buttermilk?
Thanks
Hi James! I have not tested this recipe with buttermilk, unfortunately. The whole milk and the baking powder usually work best together, but you should be able to use buttermilk if you need to. The acid in the buttermilk may react differently to the baking powder, and could create a different (less flaky / maybe a little flatter) texture in these biscuits, but they should still taste great! Let me know if you try it!
I was craving a quick snack and these were perfect with warm milk at 10pm! Wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked them, Ana! Thank you so much for making them!
I love this recipe, I made these this afternoon. I used my favorite whole wheat flour and was hoping they would turn out…they’re delicious! I appreciate your small batch recipe! Your instructions were clear and the photos helped explain the folding.
I’m so glad you liked them, Autumn! And that they worked so well with your whole wheat flour! 😍 I’m also so happy that the instructions and photos helped out, too! Thank you!