Rolled Biscuits, oh my!

If you have never had homemade rolled biscuits, baby, you’re gonna need to remedy that soon.

I’m going to assume that you have had rolled biscuits in your lifetime.

I’m going to assume you have a sweet granny or a Southern mom that has made these for you many many many times in your life.

Lawsy, pass the cream gravy, homemade apple butter, or homemade pear butter!

If you’ve never ever had homemade biscuits from scratch, I feel like I need to give you a warm hug.

Mostly cause I think I might faint and I don’t want to fall over.

~ the vapors – I haves them ~

What is a rolled biscuit?

By definition, it’s biscuit dough, kneaded a bit, rolled out, cut, and baked to the above photo’s flaky perfection.

Where I grew up (West Texas), Southern biscuits and gravy is a thang, an every day kinda thang.

Not once have I taken that blessing for granted.

NOT ONCE!

Do you roll out biscuit dough?

This is a legitimate question.

The answer is yes, you roll out biscuit dough and then use a round cutter on the dough to make the biscuit.

Easy!

What are rolled biscuits made from?

The main ingredients in a rolled biscuit are as follows:

• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• butter
• milk

Most of these ingredients are common pantry and fridge staples, so it’s easy to make them n a whim!

What makes a biscuit different from a roll?

Great question! Biscuits and rolls are very different.

Rolls are traditionally made with yeast, meaning they are given time to rise before baking.

Exception to the rule: Pumpkin Roll which isn’t exactly a yeast roll, but a get-in-mah-belly holiday dessert.

Biscuits are not made with yeast. You mix ingredients, roll out, cut and bake.

What is the difference between rolled and dropped biscuits?

So many types of biscuits!

Drop biscuits are made using more milk, or added liquids. They are too sticky to roll out, therefore they are “dropped” from a spoon onto the baking sheet.

I have a great recipe for drop biscuits: Two Ingredient Bisquick Knock-Off Biscuits

Rolled biscuits are not sticky and are cut and placed on a backing sheet.

Since I live in the South, you would think my go-to biscuit recipe would be from Paula Deen or maybe one passed down in my family.

Nope on both counts.

1. The best biscuit recipe I have found, comes from the Joy of Cooking.
2. The German (my mother) is not Southern, and I never once saw her make rolled biscuits.
3. I am a born and raised Southerner, so I took it upon myself to find the very best recipe as a nod to those roots and to start my own family tradition of enjoying biscuits and gravy as much as possible.

The delicious tradition of this light and flaky biscuit recipe, lives on through my son and Sweet E.

I love a recipe that can bring parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren (your grandboo!) together in the kitchen.

Baking has a way of bringing a family together.

If you have small kiddos that want to help in the kitchen, biscuits from scratch are a great place to start.

Kids love seeing ingredients come together from scratch to make biscuits – and that’s not even considering the rolling out and cutting the biscuit dough!

FUN!

You do the messiest part of the mixing, then let them get their hands on the dough to help.

When it comes to rolling out the biscuits, you can get things started, then let them take a turn.

The rolling pin is the best part (other than the slathering with butter part)!

After that, it’s simple cutting and placing on a cookie sheet to bake.

Great memories are made with the bonus of something mouth watering to eat at the end.

These hand rolled rolled biscuits are worth making.

A well made biscuit can hold everything from turkey or ham slices to peanut butter and jelly, and maybe some cream gravy for the grownups.

Just a few ideas for rolled biscuit fillings:

• Thanksgiving turkey
• Christmas ham
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Cranberry sauce is as good as jelly
• Fat cheese slices
• Gravy. Always.
• BUTTAH!

You get the idea. Anything you like – stuff it in there!

They seem delicate and easily brought asunder by toppings or fillings, but I assure you they can take all the filling or smothering you want to throw at ’em.

Aren’t they magnificent?

One Caveat:

Before you get started with these homemade biscuits, know the absolute trick to producing so many unforgettable layers of yum is DO NOT OVER-MIX THE DOUGH. 

You’re gonna wanna. 

You’re gonna see the unincorporated butter and think you must mix just a little bit more. 

DON’T DO IT!

Use a light hand, baby.

For those of you who would like a printable recipe, it’s at the end of the post.

If you like the recipe, I would appreciate and LOVE you forever, if you’d give it a star review (you can do that right on the recipe card below). Thanky!

Let’s get to it!

Rolled Biscuits

Yield: Makes 20 2-inch biscuits (don’t believe it – go ahead and double this bad boy)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 5-6 tbsp cold butter

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°.
3. Have a large ungreased baking sheet ready.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly into a large bowl.
5. Drop in 5-6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces. (I use all of 6 tbsp)
6. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (I use a large fork…easier to handle), tossing the pieces with the flour mixture to coat and separate them as you work.
7. For biscuits with crunchy edges and a flaky, layered, texture, continue to cut in the butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest resemble bread crumbs.
8. For classic fluffy biscuits, continue to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Do not allow the butter to melt or or form a paste with the flour.
9. Add all at once: 3/4 cup of milk and mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork just until most of the dry ingredients are moistened.
10. With a lightly floured hand, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl 5 to 10 times, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough each time until they adhere and the bowl is fairly clean.
11. To shape round biscuits: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. ( I use a silicone mat for ease) With a lightly floured rolling pin, or your fingers, roll out or pat the dough until 1/2 inch thick.
12. Cut out 1 3/4- to 2-inch rounds with a drinking glass or biscuit cutter dipped in flour; push the cutter straight down into the dough and pull it out without twisting for biscuits that will rise evenly. You can re-roll the scraps and cut additional biscuits, but be forewarned, they are never as tender as the first cut.
13. At this point you can freeze the biscuit rounds, if you’d like.
14. For browner tops, you can brush the biscuit tops with milk or melted butter.
15. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides or close together for biscuits that are joined and remain soft on the sides.
16. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the top and a deeper golden brown on the bottom, 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot.

Notes:

1: Why cold butter? The most important reason is that the relatively large particles of cold butter leave air pockets when they melt during baking.

The result? A flaky, not crumbly, final product.

2: I always double the batch. You can freeze the biscuits you don’t use.

3: Using parchment paper when cooking the biscuits makes for easy clean-up (I’ve linked the kind I use in the printable recipe).

4: Just for fun, I also linked a few products that you might need, one of which is my favorite: a tapered rolling pin.

Have you used one before? They are so zippy and easy to use. I love mine!

5:  Need ideas on what to pair the biscuits with? How about under a river of cream gravy? Or slathered with butter and jam? Or dipped in honey?

A gentle reminder: OMT! uses Amazon referral links at no cost to you!

From: The Joy of Cooking

Rolled biscuits are about as Southern as it gets.

Passing down the tradition of baking and eating rolled biscuits, whether it’s with your kiddos or your grandkids, is true memories in the making.

It’s about as good as it gets, baby.

I hope you’ve had the joy of eating them your entire life. If you haven’t – there’s no time like RIGHT NOW! to remedy that oversight.

If you missed it the first time, here’s the link for how to make cream gravy in three simple steps (so simple!).

Go on.

Get to making memories with those you love.

Happy Baking! Happy Eating!

Continue to Content

Rolled Biscuits

Yield: 20 biscuits

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These rolled biscuits are light and flaky, yet can take all the filling or smothering you want to throw at 'em.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 5-6 tbsp cold butter

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°.
3. Have a large ungreased baking sheet ready.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly into a large bowl.
5. Drop in 5-6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces. ( I use all of 6 tbsp)
6. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (I use a large fork…easier to handle), tossing the pieces with the flour mixture to coat and separate them as you work.
7. For biscuits with crunchy edges and a flaky, layered, texture, continue to cut in the butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest resemble bread crumbs.
8. For classic fluffy biscuits, continue to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Do not allow the butter to melt or or form a paste with the flour.
9. Add all at once: 3/4 cup of milk and mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork just until most of the dry ingredients are moistened.
10. With a lightly floured hand, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl 5 to 10 times, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough each time until they adhere and the bowl is fairly clean.
11. To shape round biscuits: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. (I use a silicone mat for ease) With a lightly floured rolling pin, or your fingers, roll out or pat the dough until 1/2 inch thick.
12. Cut out 1 3/4- to 2-inch rounds with a drinking glass or biscuit cutter dipped in flour; push the cutter straight down into the dough and pull it out without twisting for biscuits that will rise evenly. You can re-roll the scraps and cut additional biscuits, but be forewarned, they are never as tender as the first cut.
13. At this point you can freeze the biscuit rounds, if you’d like.
14. For browner tops, you can brush the biscuit tops with milk or melted butter.
15. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides or close together for biscuits that are joined and remain soft on the sides.
16. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the top and a deeper golden brown on the bottom, 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot

Notes

Why cold butter?

The most important reason is that the relatively large particles of cold butter leave air pockets when they melt during baking.

The result?

A flaky, not crumbly, final product.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Kitzini Silicone Pastry Mat. Non Slip Baking Mat. BPA-Free Silicone Baking Sheet. Extra Large Silicone Mats for Baking, Rolling Pastry, Dough, Pizza & Cookies. Easy Clean - Kneading Mat
• 
  Nordic Ware Tapered Wooden Rolling Pin
• 
  Kirkland Signature Non Stick Parchment Paper 205 sq ft (Twin Pack)
• 
  Ateco 4 Piece Stainless Steel 1440 Plain Edge Round Cutters Set in Graduated Sizes
• 
  Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet (2 Pack), Silver
• 
  Checkered Chef Cooling Racks for Baking - Baking Rack Twin Set. Stainless Steel Oven and Dishwasher Safe Wire Cooling Rack. Fits Half Sheet Cookie Pan- set of 2
• 
  The All New All Purpose: Joy of Cooking

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 2 biscuits
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 493mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Original post: December 10, 2012. Updated Post: May 25, 2022

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Rest yer weary fingers.

Except to click on the image.

You still have enough strength for that.

COME ON!

YOU CAN DO IT!

If you liked the Rolled Biscuits post, you might find these interesting as well:

How To Pour Honey Like a Pro

Trust me when I tell you that a biscuit hot from the oven deserves a drizzle of honey on it before you take a bite. Nom!

Portuguese Sweet Bread (Pao Doce) 

This bread is a family favorite. Slightly sweet (and also worthy of a drizzle of honey!) and light.

The Best Sour Cream Zucchini Bread Done Right!

Lastly, I offer a tasty quick bread (yep, also amazing with honey!). Tell yer picky eaters that the green specs are nature’s sprinkles!

So many recipes, so little time! 

Start with the Rolled Biscuits and tell me what you think.

Happy Baking!

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